I Promised
by Just Call Me J
Summary: Dark Land is under siege. The castle is attacked, the royal family is broken and separated, and their safety is looking grim. The eldest brothers struggle to keep a promise to protect their younger family members. Rated T for blood and violence
1. Chapter 1: Steel-Eyed Wish

_Hello world! _J_ here with my very first fic ever! Yay me. You may now scream in terror. Or squeal in delight. Preferably the latter. But, in all honesty, you can react however you want._

_**Summary:** Dark Land is under siege. The castle is attacked, the royal family is broken and separated, and their safety is looking grim. The eldest brothers struggle to protect their kin. Rated T to be safe_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own ANYTHING affiliated with ANYTHING in the Mario series. If I did, then things would be a LOT different. Rights go to Nintendo._

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**Chapter 1: Steel-Eyed Wish**

* * *

A small airship cruised through the night sky. In the pilot's seat of the craft's cockpit was a somewhat burly, purple-shelled Koopa of royal descent.

Roy Koopa wanted to make the transport fly as fast as it could, but that would cause a sonic boom. And Roy wanted to attract as little attention- _Preferably NO attention, he thought bitterly - to himself as possible._

Roy glanced back at the two small, limp forms on the passenger seat immediately behind him. Securely fastened to the seat, were Lawrence Koopa and Bowser Koopa Jr. His baby brothers. Battered, bruised, and unconscious.

_Either that or they're…_ Roy violently cringed and bit his tongue till it bled, putting a swift end to that fearsome thought. He kept his teeth pressed down on his tongue, reprimanding himself for allowing such a thought to plague his mind. _NO. They're alive, and they're STAYING that way! I swore long ago I'd protect them. I won't let my family's trust in me to be in vain!_

Only after having passed over almost six lands did Roy allow himself to release some of his tension, if only by a small amount. With his baby brothers' lives in the balance, relaxation was Roy's mortal enemy. That, and the coward who had attacked his homeland, forced his family to retreat from their own home, separated them, and left Larry and Junior- and who knew how many others?- in their current state.

_I just wish I knew what we were running from,_ Roy thought as he switched the airship into autopilot. He got off his chair and went to check on his brothers. He didn't get to properly check on them during the chaos of their flight from the castle. The third eldest had his own share of wounds, but they were minor, and so he put all his attention on his baby brothers' needs. Now as he laid his covered ruby eyes on the two youngest princes, Roy felt a mixture of emotions boil in his heart.

Both of their bodies were riddled cuts and scratches, varying in size and depth. Bruises horribly discolored their yellow flesh. Bowser Junior's right leg had a deep gash running from his hip to just above the ankle, still bleeding. Quickly but carefully, Roy removed Junior's cherished bandanna from around his neck, intending to stem the blood flow. His head drooped slightly as he realized the square piece of cloth wouldn't work with its current proportions.

_Sorry, bro, I know how much you love this thing. But this is for your own good,_ Roy thought grimly as he tore the bandanna into four even rectangles. He then kneeled down and tightly wound the strips of ruined cloth around Junior's leg, each one lower than the previous. The purple-shelled Koopa sighed as he stood back up. Bowser Junior's leg wasn't the only bleeding injury, but it was one that called for more attention. At least, of the wounds that were visible.

_Crap! What if he has internal injuries!? I can't treat any of that! And what about **under** the shell!?_ Roy's thoughts were in a panic. He hated feeling this useless. It didn't help that his brothers weren't doing any better than when the airship took off. And that he didn't even know the fates of his other siblings. Or that of his father. Feeling tears pricking at the edges of his eyes, the temperamental Koopa furiously rubbed them away. _I can't go weak, especially not now._ So Roy went on to the second youngest.

Larry wasn't much better off than his younger brother. A rather large and ugly bruise covered the left side of his head, obscuring his blue star birthmark. His once bright blue hair now stuck to the right side of his forehead, caked with dried blood, and covering his right eye. Roy absentmindedly reached to brush the hair aside so he could see both of his second baby brother's twinkling blue eyes, either forgetting or disregarding the fact that both eyes were shut. When he brushed the red-stained hair aside, Roy jerked his hand back with an uncontainable gasp. Larry's right eye was practically one hideous bruise. His green-skinned head was now an atrocious purple, and not the deep, royal purple of Roy's own shell. This shade reminded the strong Dragon-Koopa of the noxious fumes that plagued certain areas in Dark Land. And now it was defiling his little brother's face. Roy inhaled sharply to contain his growing rage.

He looked down at the rest of Larry's body. Roy's eyes widened behind his shades. The two upper plates of Larry's plastron had a painstaking crack running through both of them. Fractured shells were very dangerous for Koopas, but that usually wasn't a problem in the castle because of the many Magikoopas with healing spells at their disposal. But Kamek nor any other knowledgeable spell caster was available in current circumstances.

_Which means… baby bro is gonna need… surgery,_ Roy swallowed bile that threatened to erupt from his throat and onto his brother. He shuddered and took deep breaths before moving on.

Roy sighed in relief, however faint that relief may have been; the rest of Larry's body didn't seem to be as critical as his head and shell. He was about to turn back to the controls when something else caught his eye: the awkward angle at which Larry's right arm hung. Uncertainty gripping his heart once more, Roy moved in for further diagnosis. As Roy lifted the limp appendage, he felt the bones in the forearm shift. A growl rumbled in his throat. Broken. Larry's arm was broken. The older prince cursed under his breath. He was going to have to make a splint. Roy carefully removed the spiked wrist cuff from Larry's left wrist, and then slid the other cuff farther up his right forearm. After he had done this, Roy slid both cuffs onto the broken arm, vigilantly welding them together with his fire breath. The purple Koopaling hoped this would suffice as an effective makeshift splint.

Roy searched for more to do for a full minute. Fully realizing that this was the extent of his ability, Roy sighed in defeat and slipped back to the pilot's seat. After sitting down, he sighed dejectedly again and brought a clawed hand up to rub his temple. Roy grimaced as his hand made contact with a bruise in that very area of his head. He noticed  
his vision blurring as well.

_I'm in no condition to fly this ship if I have a concussion. I'm probably of little use to my brothers, too._ Roy did a retake on that thought._How did I get us this far with a concussion?_ After briefly contemplating, the purple-shelled Koopa decided it was a result of the adrenaline rush. He scratched his head to think more only to flinch as pain flared up a second time.

_Right. Bruise. Concussion. Bruise. I should probably put some ice on that._ Roy glanced worryingly over to his still-unconscious baby brothers, reluctant to leave them. _I'll get some for them, too._

Roy purposefully exited the cockpit and entered the hallway of the small airship. The aircraft he managed to drag his injured kin onto only had four rooms, plus the top deck and the hallway he was in now: the cockpit, a small kitchen with only a miniature refrigerator and microwave oven, a bedroom with one large cot and a tiny nightstand, and a very cramped half bath. Roy opened the mini-fridge in the kitchen and thanked the stars when he saw it virtually chockfull of ice packs. He picked up five: one for Bowser Jr.'s leg, one for both the bruises on Larry's head, one for his broken arm, and one for Roy's own head wound. Roy placed his pack on his bruise immediately and, for a moment, basked in the cool respite it offered. He jumped out of his trance when he remembered his brothers. Shaking his head chidingly for stupidly forgetting his duty, the Koopaling stepped towards the hallway.

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

Roy turned toward the fridge again, where the new noise had seemed to originate. He walked over to the appliance.

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

No, now the noise came from behind the fridge. Roy set the ice packs down and pushed the cooling unit to the side. His handiwork revealed a spiny blue Koopa shell, just like the kind used in kart racing. Unlike those shells, however, this one had several wires running through and around it. Roy recognized this wiring from a picture one of Iggy Koopa's books, which the latter had obnoxiously shoved in his face once to show him. Roy remembered that after the brief moment of annoyance, he had honestly found interest in the strangely depicted weapon. The slender Koopa had then proceeded to explain what the item was called in that state, as well as its capabilities. Even now his immediate younger brother's words echoed in Roy's mind: _"When blue shells are wired like this, they become nuclear shells. See the reactor here? Now these things are extremely dangerous. The blast radius is tripled and the energy released increases in power exponentially. It completely obliterates anything within range."_

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

The beeping noise was coming from the shell. Roy looked at its side where the sound was loudest. His eyes widened when he saw a timer counting down. It now read _00:17_.

Roy cursed loudly and bolted toward the door, barely noticing yet another nuclear shell in the hallway. A quick sideways glance told him the other two rooms had their share of rigged explosives, which were beeping away, counting down to destruction. Roy ran back to the cockpit.

_00:15_

Roy didn't have time to gasp when he saw two nuclear devices shoved underneath the passenger seat in which his brothers lay. He was too busy running to the emergency supply kit by the main controls. Roy had barely opened the compartment when he grabbed the lone Cape Feather stashed inside. Then he took out a large wrench. Roy looked from airship's windshield, to the wrench, and back again. Then, with a loud grunt, the strong Koopa mightily flung the heavy tool at the glass. And through it. A good-sized hole was now in the windshield, a spider web of cracks surrounding it.

_00:10_

Roy ran back to his little brothers and quickly unfastened them from the seat. Before taking them off the chair, he donned the Cape Feather and felt its effects, i.e. a cape. Then he hoisted the two younger ones, one under each arm. Roy turned back toward the bow of the ship. He paused to quickly tucked Larry and Bowser Jr. into their shells to ensure them more safety. Looking up, royal Koopa hardened his gaze, and he charged head-on toward the broken windshield, roaring.

_00:04_

Roy put his right shoulder forward and clutched both his siblings to his left side.

_00:03_  
The burly Koopaling leapt and shut his eyes as he braced for impact.

_00:02_  
Roy collided with glass, and he smashed right through it. Then he let gravity pull him towards the earth.

_00:01_  
Roy pulled Larry and Bowser to his chest and wrapped himself around them as thoroughly as he could in an attempt to shield them should the three falling princes be caught in the blast radius of at least six nuclear shells.

_00:00_

A deafening explosion filled the night. Roy had to shut his eyes against the blinding light that seemed to engulf everything around him, in spite of his dark glasses. He felt heat radiate onto his backside. But he felt nothing other than that. Roy had at least expected debris to rain down on him. But there was nothing but searing heat bombarding him. As the light and heat faded, Iggy Koopa's words echoed in his mind again: _"It completely obliterates."_

That was it, then. The airship had been utterly vaporized, leaving no trace of its existence.

_That could have been us,_ Roy thought as he held his little brothers even closer to his plastron. He tried to take a breath to calm his nerves, but the air rushing upwards into him made breathing difficult. Soon, though, that wouldn't be a problem, as his cape would catch the air and make like a hang glider. Any moment now…

Nothing happened. Roy glanced upward and cursed at what he saw. The cape was tattered from the trip through broken glass. Their only lifeline was now useless. Roy wouldn't make it. His brothers wouldn't make it. The brothers whom he had sworn to protect since...

_**No**. They'll survive. I'll see to that till the end,_ Roy told himself. He shrugged of the ruined cape and twisted around in their descent to face the starry sky. _And if this is to be my end, so be it. So long as they live to see to their rightful places on the throne._

At that thought, Roy centered all of his attention towards the stars. Toward one star. The star that was acutally, unbeknownst to Roy, the galaxy that had been created in the aftermath of his father's attempt to rule the universe. With a steel gaze set on it, Roy sent sixty-three wishes for the well-being of Lawrence Koopa and Bowser Koopa Jr. towards that small beacon of light amidst the cosmos. And for the sixty-fourth and final wish for them, he wished a portion of his own soul to be sent to the stars to watch over his family.

After he had done this, Roy clutched the two smaller princes, still in their shells, more firmly to his chest than ever. Then the large Koopaling curled up as tightly as he could around his still-unconscious siblings. But he kept his hardened eyes on his father's galaxy. Through the faint reflection his sunglasses offered, Roy could see the unforgiving ground rushing up to greet him. Yes, "him".

Not them. Just me. I'll protect them till the end. I swear it. I'll take the blunt of the force our landing will deal out. Hopefully all the force.

Mere moments from impact, Roy whispered a final choked "Goodbye" to his father, his brothers, and his sister. As he said this farewell, he let a single droplet of moisture escape from behind his eyelid.

Pink-rimmed carapace met cold hard soil with a sickening _thud_, and Roy knew no more.

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_HOLD IT! Drop the torches and pitchforks! If this was going to be a deathfic, I would have said so in the summary. I promise (pun not intended)._

_So, what did you think? Was it good? Was it bad? Should I ditch this writing gig and go back to being just a reviewer? Do you mind if I use turtle anatomy to name the plastron (front of the shell) and carapace (back of the shell)? Should I bolt the door and stock up on Starmen in case Bowser comes after me for doing this to his children? Feedback is always nice, you know. Especially for that last question lol. I like my life, thank you very much :P_  
**_*loud knock at door*_**  
_EEP! TOO LATE!_

**_*while running away from a very, very angry Dragon-Koopa*_**  
_Read and Revieeeeeew!_


	2. Chapter 2: While You Slept

_Phew! I got away from Bowser. *Notices you* Oh! Hello again! Thanks to everybody who reviewed for chapter 1. You rock! Here, have some Yoshi Cookies as thanks. Enjoy chapter two!_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own ANYTHING affiliated with ANYTHING in the Mario series. If I did, then things would be a LOT different. Rights go to Nintendo._

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**Chapter 2: While You Slept**

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A pink Toad girl sat up on her bed and yawned, stretching. Then she hopped to the floor to start the day.

Toadette was proud of herself. Last night she had actually gone to bed at a decent time. Usually she stayed up past midnight working on her music, something her brother Toad constantly lectured her about. However, yesterday her muse had worked overtime and Toadette had finished her works at 7:53 pm. With nothing else to do, the Toad girl had decided to turn in for the day. She never felt more rested.

"Maybe I should go to bed early more often," Toadette said to herself. After mulling it over for a brief moment, she added, "Nah," before getting dressed. She then headed to the kitchen to fix herself breakfast.

Miss Muse must have been on a roll, because Toadette didn't even have to stop and think about what she wanted for breakfast; she already had something in mind. She grabbed a jar of Jammin' Jelly and stuck a slice of bread into the toaster. Then she went to the cupboard, took out a tall glass, and set it on the counter by the coffeemaker. That's when Toadette saw the note Toad had left on the coffeepot. It read:

_TOADETTE: DO NOT TOUCH THIS DEVICE!_

Toadette couldn't help but roll her eyes and smirk at her brother's antics. Sure, she was energetic, but even she the consequences of getting caffeine into her bloodstream. Toad just had to be a typical brother and tease her about it.

_Not that I don't do the same thing to him about his quirks,_ Toadette reminded herself. _I wonder if Mario and Luigi do that. I wouldn't hold it against them. The Koopalings probably play "sibling war", too._

Toadette let her mind wander as she poured some Stamina Juice into the glass.

_You know, Ludwig von Koopa is musically inclined. I'll bet he stays up late practicing like me._

Toadette giggled. _I bet Bowser loves that, if Toad's response to my practices is anything to go by. At least Toad gets to stay at Peach's Castle sometimes when he's on shift. Like this week. But old King Koopa can't get away from the music in his home. Why do they try to get away? We're making masterpieces! Don't they like music? Heh, Ludwig probably feels the same way. I wonder how his symphonies are. Maybe I could see him sometime and we could compare notes. Hee-hee! Bad pun._

Toadette laughed; her train of thought was going a mile a minute, and no one could stop it. _It's official; I'm hyper. I guess I'm awake. And I haven't even had breakfast yet!_

As if on cue, the bread, now toasted to a golden brown, popped out of the toaster. Toadette pulled it out the rest of the way and set it on a plate. After that she went to work smothering the top side of the bread with Jammin' Jelly.

"No bread must show! It'll all be covered up!" Toadette cackled to no one in particular, "Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Toadette jerked her head up and blinked. She glanced around nervously and sighed in relief when she saw no one around to witness her little "hyper moment".

"Good thing Toad is at the castle. He'd yap about this every chance he got for the rest of the day!" Toadette groaned. She blushed in embarrassment just thinking about it.

She took her breakfast to the table. Then she turned on the radio and tuned it in to the Information Station. Toadette listened intently while she munched on her toast.

"… _and while information is uncertain, we can still confirm that Dark Land was indeed attacked last night, at around 11:40 __pm__, Mushroom Time. All communications with denizens of the Dark Land district have been lost. Whereabouts of the royal family are unknown. Repeat: whereabouts of the royal family are unknown."_

Toadette nearly choked on her food._ Dark Land was attacked? Last night? Bowser and all those others are missing? Communication is cut-off?_

"_In news that may or may not be related, the cause of the tremendous explosion above Castle Toadstool's courtyard is unknown. The blast occurred around 2:00 __am__ Mushroom Time. With the princess away in the Delfino area discussing political matters, investigators are unable to enter the gate to the castle grounds. The attendant who has posted himself at the gate refuses to, quote, 'allows anyone passage without Princess Peach's consent.' The Toad even refused the entry of the Mario brothers. The mushroom attendant is described to have a white mushroom with red spots. He is wearing brown shoes, white pants, and a blue vest with gold lining. On a side note, Princess Toadstool is on her way back as we speak, as she, too, has heard of this disaster. But is it tragedy? Or is it triumph?"_

_Red spots? Blue vest? Sounds like Toad._ And just like that Toadette left her food and was out the door. _Figures something happens the night I decide to go to bed early._

**_*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*_**

In less than five minutes, Toadette had made it to Toad Town Square. When she saw the gigantic mob of reporters swarming by the princess's gate, her jaw dropped.

"By. The. Stars," she blurted.

Recovering from her momentary stupor, Toadette ran over to the horde and tried her hardest to squeeze through. Her efforts were as fruitless as a banana tree after a Kong party.

"Um, excuse me," she said loudly. The crazed reporters didn't seem to hear.

"My brother is in there." Again, no one minded her request.

Now Toadette was getting annoyed. She stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a long, shrill whistle.

"MOVE IT!" she screeched as she charged the horde. She pushed and shoved mercilessly as if she was participating in a Strikers match. Before she knew it, she right in front of the gate. Toadette had to throw her arms out in front of her to catch herself so she wouldn't slam face-first into the star on the blue doors.

After getting her bearings, Toadette knocked loudly and rapidly and called out, "Toad! Open up!"

Toad's head peeped up over the edge of the walls. "Toadette? What are you doing here?"

Toadette scowled, "I want in."

It was Toad's turn to frown, "Sorry, but I'm not letting anyone in until Peach comes."  
Mario, who, along with Luigi, was in front of the investigative reporters working on crowd control, spoke up, "Listen to him, Toadette. He won't even let-"

"Let you guys in. I know. They said it on the radio," Toadette cut him off. Then she turned back to her brother, "Can't you let me in?"

"Nope. None shall pass. Not even my little sister," Toad said bluntly.

Toadette glowered at him, "We're twins."

"I'm still older."

"Only by a minute and four seconds!"

Toad smirked, "And don't you forget it."

Toadette growled loudly, exasperated.

Toad expression went from smug to apologetic, "Look, I don't know what to do. I'm afraid if I let anyone in, any evidence in here will get ruined."  
Luigi spoke up, "Have you looked for any evidence?"

Toad hesitated. "No," he said softly.

The three on the ground face-palmed.

Toad frowned, "What if I mess something up, too!? Peach will know what to do. That's why I'm only opening this gate once she's here."

"In that case, you may open the gate now, Toad."

As one, everyone turned around at the new voice. There was Princess Peach, strolling leisurely toward the group. The crowd separated like double doors to let her through as she made her way to the gate.

"Princess! I, um… okay." Toad stammered before he disappeared from view. After a few seconds, the gate's doors opened.

Peach smiled down at him, "Thank you, Toad. And thank you so much for guarding the castle while I was away."

"Oh. It-it's nothing," Toad stammered again, blushing.

Peach turned to the crowd. "I understand that you wish to come in, but right now we need to have professional detectives investigate whatever evidence that lies within the castle grounds. I hope you don't mind waiting out here until then, unless any of you are detectives."

There were a few murmured protests running through the investigators, but otherwise they all agreed to stay put, although some left. After that, Peach invited Mario, Luigi, and Toadette into the courtyard. They didn't hesitate to take the invitation.

After Toad resealed the gate, Luigi addressed the Mushroom Princess, "Peach, Mario and I would like to discuss the attack on Dark Land."

Mario nodded, "Even though Bowser is usually our biggest adversary, he has helped us on numerous occasions. Perhaps it's time for us to find a way to help him."

Peach nodded, too. "I agree. Bowser and his children need us."

"If we didn't help them, then we wouldn't really be heroes," Blue Toad added as he and Yellow Toad exited the castle.

Yellow Toad added where his brother left off, "There's also the fact that whoever attacked Bowser might also attack us and other kingdoms. This is why Princess Daisy, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong are unable to be here, since they're busy helping their people."

Toadette was about to cut in when something shining through a big bush caught her eye. Curiousity getting the better of her, she walked over to see what is was. As she started walking around the shrub, she was able to identify the bright glimmer she noticed as sunlight. The sunlight was reflecting off of a pair of red-stained sunglasses on a body. The toad girl felt her blood run cold.

Toadette screamed.

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_And that's chapter two. Do you like? Do you hate? Do hate that cliffhanger I threw at you? Did you laugh? Did you cry? Did you laugh so hard you cried? Because if you **did**, then I'm better at this than I thought :P_

_Bad news. I'll only be able to write more once a week. Maybe less. School sucks. But don't be sad! I'll try to continue on this as soon as possible. I'll only update on weekends, even if a new chapter is completed before then. If I have days off from school, then I'll work on my fic on those days, too. Bear with me, please._

_And don't forget: Read and Review  
Oh, and warn me if you see Bowser or any of the Koopalings. They are NOT happy with what I'm writing. :)_


	3. Chapter 3: Strong Passion

_Sorry I didn't update last week. Life is crazy!... That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. For being so patient, you get TWO CHAPTERS for the price of ONE this week! Can I hear a "Yay"?_

_**Disclaimer:** I dpn't think I own them. Let me go check._

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**Chapter 3: Strong Passion**

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Any and all conversation was immediately cut off at Toadette's scream. The whole group came rushing to her side without hesitation, with Toad in front.

"Toadette! What's wrong? What h-?" Toad gasped when he saw what made her scream and was unable to continue.

Everyone else shared Toad's reaction as well as some of their own. Peach brought her hands to her mouth and started crying silently. The Mario Brothers and Toad Brothers were simply in shock.

Luigi found his voice first, but could only manage, "Roy Koopa…"

After a minute of just gaping at the grim sight, Blue and Yellow Toad slowly approached the unconscious Dragon-Koopa to examine him for whatever damage he could have had. The pair stopped when they noticed the two shells Roy had clutched- surprisingly tightly- in his arms.

Yellow Toad turned to the others, "He's holding Larry Koopa and Bowser Jr.! And none of them look good!"

Peach let out a soft sob. Then she unexpectedly stood and composed herself, though tears were still streaming down her cheeks. The princess strode back toward the gate and went to a device on the wall near the door: the castle's intercom. Peach flipped a switch on the small box to make a town-wide broadcast.

She announced in a strong, authoritative voice, **_"Emergency medical team to the castle grounds. Repeat: We need any able emergency medical teams to the castle grounds, NOW."_**

After that, Peach opened the gate. As she stepped out, the horde of reporters waiting outside surged forward, chattering and throwing questions at the princess. Peach raise her gloved hand and the mob immediately halted and silenced.

Peach sniffed and said shakily, "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. And, for confidential reasons, I would like your cameras turned off."

There were a few nods, and, turning their cameras off, the crowd dispersed. No one stayed behind; everyone heeded the princess's wishes. After she saw that everyone was truly gone, Peach walked back over to where her friends stood. Peach knelt down beside the royal Koopas and looked at them for a good long while.

_Even while unconscious- or worse- Roy Koopa holds onto his brothers,_ Peach noted, shuddering, _The muscles in his arms are flexed. It's almost like he has a subconscious reflex to protect them, to never let go._

Peach placed her hand gently on Roy's bruised forehead, a small smile forming on her lips and tears brimming her eyes once more. _No. Not almost. He has the passion of a big brother coursing through his veins. I've seen that drive in Mario. Toad, too. The inerasable instinct to keep a younger sibling from pain. You never really think of Roy having that instinct, but he obviously does. He probably has that same passionate spark in his eyes, too. He looks so vulnerable now without his sunglasses and with so many injuries._

Peach looked down at the shells of Bowser Jr. and Larry as tears started pouring over again. _They're so young. No one at their age should have to go through something like this._

At that thought, Princess Toadstool cradled Roy's head in her lap, and wept.

**_*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*_**

Minutes later, several medical teams arrived. Peach had since stopped sobbing, although the air was still just as heavy. There was a minor commotion when the doctors and medics saw who they were called for, but they quickly recovered from their surprise and when to work. Luckily, a medical team had come in one of their bigger ambulances, and had brought their larger stretchers.

They had at first tried to load the three Koopalings on different stretchers, but Roy's grip remained strong on his baby brothers, regardless that he was still not conscious. The medical Toads yielded and hoisted all three young Dragon-Koopas onto the biggest stretcher with the help of the Mario and Toad Brothers. After that, the rest of the ensemble of medical squads climbed back into their vehicles and drove to Toad Town Clinic. Mario and the group rode along, with Yellow Toad and Blue Toad staying back at the castle.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. Peach and Luigi rode in the ambulance that accommodated the Koopas. Peach tried time and again to look at the near-dead princes, but every time had to quickly look away to keep from crying once more. Luigi stayed next to the princess to offer a comforting hand on her shoulder, his eyes reflecting pity for all the royalty in the vehicle. In another ambulance were Mario, Toad, and Toadette. Toad was hugging his younger twin, who was in a state of traumatized shock at what she had seen. Mario was looking out the window, but his eyes weren't on the scenery.

_Who could have done this?_ The red-clad plumber wondered. _Who could have attacked **all** of Dark Land? Why would anyone attack all of Dark Land? I can understand attacking Bowser himself, but his whole kingdom? Ambushing them at night, when they're asleep? How can that be justified? Some of the citizens there are actually good people. Hamma, Bamma, and Flare Jamma are **from** there. Their grandfather worked for the Koopa Troop, too! Did that create a rift our friendship? No. I hold no grudge against them._

Heck, I have no grudge against **Bowser**! The only reason I ever fight him is because he kidnaps Peach and tries to take over the world. And he usually attacks me first, so I'm just defending myself. I always try to end the battle by simply rendering him harmless. Plus, he's always a great addition to our racing and sports competitions. I'd never do… **this** to him. It's just not right.

"Just not right…" Mario mumbled. He looked up at the clear, blue sky. _Bowser, be okay._

**_*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*_**

Minutes later, Roy Koopa, Larry Koopa, and Bowser Jr. were carted into Toad Town Clinic's biggest operating room. The Koopas needed to be laid on separate cots in order to be treated, but Roy's unyielding embrace prevented the doctors from dividing them. One of the nurses retrieved a syringe and approached the stretcher they were on. Mario took notice of this.

"Hold on," he stopped the nurse, "What's that?"

"It's a sedative," she replied, "In order to get the Koopalings apart, we're going to need Roy Koopa's arms relaxed."

Mario was skeptical. _Sedation when Roy is already in this condition? Is that really a good idea? But then, what else can we do?_ He sigh dejectedly, "Okay, fine. But keep a defibrillator handy in case anything-"

The nurse smiled softly and gestured toward the machine already next to the stretcher, "Of course." Then she injected Roy with the drug.

The effects were immediate. Roy's arms started to slowly loosen off his brothers' shells. The medical teams then placed the Dragon-Koopas on three different cots and started diagnosing their wounds. Medical procedures had begun.

But Mario couldn't help but think that they had just cut the Koopas' lifeline.

* * *

_And that's chapter three!_

_You know the drill. Read, Review, and give me a heads up if you spot any angry Dragon-Koopas seeking to kill me :P_

_Thanks, you guys are great!_


	4. Chapter 4: Dead to Me

_As promised, here's chapter 4! Now, just a heads up: This chapter gets a bit violent. Read at your own risk._

_**Disclaimer:** Last time I checked, I didn't own any of this. Should I check again?_

* * *

**Chapter 4: Dead to Me**

* * *

_Roy Koopa opened his eyes and looked around. The first thing he became aware of was that he was standing. The second thing he realized was that he was in his family's throne room, facing the main door. But everything was still intact, as if the attack never happened. Roy looked down at his body. It was completely free of injury! He lifted his hand to his temple where he knew there was a bruise. But no pain flared up._

I'm not hurt, he realized. And if I'm fine, and the castle is fine, then…__

"The attack never happened!" Roy exclaimed joyfully, "The others are okay!" And he started towards the door.

"Roy," a voice boomed.

Roy stopped immediately and spun around. There, standing in front of the ten thrones, was his father.

"Pop!" Roy cried happily.

And standing on either side of Bowser were his siblings, lined up in birth order from the left. Roy smiled as he looked from face to face. Ludwig, Lemmy, Iggy, Wendy, Morton…

That was it. Larry and Bowser Jr. were absent.

Where are they?_ Roy wondered. _Why aren't they here?_ Then is eyes widened tremendously as reality hit him like a missile. A huge lump rose in his throat as he choked, "Oh, no… **No**…"_

He looked back at his family. His remaining family. They were all looking at him. Their expressions held no sorrow or pity. Only scorn, resentment, and betrayal.

Bowser spoke once more, "You've failed, son. Failed them, and us."

"No…" Roy took a step back and shook his head.

"You're not worthy of being called our brother if you won't even protect you own," Ludwig snarled.

"No! I tried!" Roy cried, tears overflowing from behind his ruby eyes. "I swear I tried…"

Lemmy's eyes blazed with uncharacteristic rage, "That's not good enough! You promised us, Roy. You promised yourself!"

"Lemmy…" Roy pleaded, "I never broke that promise…"

"LIAR!" Iggy Koopa roared, "If you never broke your promise, then where are our brothers? **Huh**? Where are they? They're not here, no thanks to you. You didn't save them. **I HATE YOU!**"

Roy's legs suddenly felt weak. Never in his worst nightmares had he experienced such venomous words from his siblings. He certainly didn't expect them coming out of Iggy.

"Iggy…" he croaked.

"Just get out, Roy." Wendy uttered through angry tears. "We don't want you here. Get out of Dark Land. **Go**."

Roy couldn't even look at his sister. So he simply looked at his now youngest brother, and waited for him to speak.

Morton Koopa Jr. remained silent. Under ordinary circumstances Roy would have made a quip about Morton keeping his mouth shut, but right then Roy found his normally chatty brother's silence unnerving. There was also the strange way in which Morton was looking at him. It was more like he was looking through his brother, like he wasn't even there. It was as if Roy were dead-

Once again reality struck Roy where it hurt the most.

He was dead to Morton. That hurt Roy more than being disowned by the rest of his family. It felt crueler than the three fearsome words Iggy had spat at him.

It was just unbearable. Roy rushed forward and fell to his knees at Morton's feet, begging, "Morton, please! Don't do this to me, buddy. Please, say something- **anything**! Curse me! Flip me off! Just not this!"

Again, Morton said nothing. Roy would have gladly been cussed out for hours on end. But his wish was not granted. He was eternally dead in his best friend's eyes.

Roy couldn't take it. The supposedly strongest Koopaling collapsed in a pathetic heap on the floor and sobbed uncontrollably.

Morton simply turned and left the room. The other Koopalings followed in suit, some of them glaring daggers at their former brother as they passed him. Soon only Bowser and Roy remained in the throne room.

Bowser looked at his former son, eyes glowing with an emotion Roy preferred not to try and identify. "I'm giving you five minutes to flee the kingdom," Bowser said, "before I send the Troop out to capture you for execution."

Roy looked up at the Koopa king in horror, the tears on his sunglasses' lenses blurring his vision slightly. His own father was going to execute him?

Bowser turned to follow his children, adding darkly, "For your sake, you'd better hope you make it out in that time. I plan on allowing my remaining family the honor of doing you in." Roy's eyes widened further as Bowser walked away.

Roy quickly got to his feet and ran after him, calling out, "Pop, you can't do this!"

Bowser didn't seem to hear him and kept walking away. His carapace seemed to get farther and farther away.

Roy ran harder and cried out again, "Pop, wait! Don't leave me!"

The harder Roy pumped his legs, the farther away his father seemed the get. Soon Bowser was lost from sight.

"**POP!**" Roy cried in despair.

The next thing Roy knew were two red steel doors slamming shut in front of his nose. Roy looked around at the room he was in. It looked to be the top floor of one of their old fortresses. If memory served Roy right, this was the fortress in Grass Land.

Larry's fortress.

Roy suddenly found it hard to breathe. He started to hyperventilate as tears reformed in his eyes. Is this some sort of sick plan? Is this where I'm going to be executed? In my own baby bro's arena?_ Roy choked on a lump in his throat._

"Can we get this over with?" a voice sounded from behind, "I don't want to look at this sad **thing** more than I have to."

Roy whirled around to find himself facing Ludwig, Lemmy, Iggy, and Wendy. And they were armed. Not with their wands, but with sword and knives. Ludwig had a wicked-looking broadsword. Morton was nowhere to be found.

Roy assumed the worst, "M-Morton…?"

Ludwig sneered, "So. You play oblivious to letting Larry and Bowser die. But suddenly you're freaked out about killing our third baby brother." Roy could tell he wasn't included in that "our".

"No, Ludwig, I-" Roy choked.

"Shut up." Ludwig snapped.

And as one the remaining four Koopalings attacked. Somehere along the line, Roy's sunglasses were knocked off.

Roy never moved from where he was. He felt helpless. He was completely oblivious of the sheer fury being released upon him as he got lost in his jumbled thoughts.

I'm responsible for **three** baby brothers' deaths?__

Wendy sliced through his shoulder, rendering that arm useless.

But I saved Larry!__

A sharp upward swing from Iggy amputated Roy's tail.

I saved Bowser!__

Lemmy cut through Roy's knee.

I swear I did!__

Ludwig blasted Roy with magic lightning.

They were on my plastron when I hit the ground! Carapace-first!__

The Koopalings surrounded Roy on four sides and simultaneously spat massive fireballs at him.

What if... What if I didn't land on my carapace? What if I landed on **them**?__

Wendy and Iggy leapt and kicked Roy square in the chest at the same time, sending him across the room, only to have his shell bounce off the far wall. Roy landed on his plastron, hard, and the force of his landing caused his head to snap downward. The side of his head collided against the stone floor with a resounding crack_._

And Roy saw something that would haunt him forever.

There, standing on the other side of the arena, were Bowser Koopa Jr. and Lawrence Koopa. But they weren't normal. Their bodies were transparent; Roy could see the cracks in the wall behind them. And the edge of their bodies seemed to be blown away by some nonexistent wind.

They were spirits.

But that wasn't what haunted Roy.

It was their body language. Both Koopas' arms were folded in front of their plastrons. And even from the other side of the room, Roy could see the emotion their eyes reflected: satisfaction. They were giving approval of their brother's death.

Roy's heart was now truly shattered beyond recognition. He couldn't focus. He couldn't feel anything. He had gone completely numb.

So much so that he didn't even sense Ludwig von Koopa looming over him, ready to land the finishing blow. Ludwig raised his sword high, aimed for Roy's head.

The oldest Koopaling narrowed his eyes, "Good riddance, **traitor**." And he brought the blade down.

* * *

Wow. Angsty. I had no idea I was that capable. If you had come to me six months ago and told me that I would write something this dark, I would have laughed in your face.

As I stated in my author's note for chapter 1, **this is not a death fic.** And it never will be. So you can lose the broadsword that you're hiding behind your back.

And don't expect me to post two chapters every time I'm a week late. This just happened to be a good week. Don't get your hopes up too high!

You know the drill: R&R! And warn me if you see any angry Dragon-Koopas seeking to slash me with swords and knives! :D

Stay tuned! _-J_


	5. Chapter 5: Heart Attack

_Yay, I made the deadline! *happy dance* And nobody came after me for chapter four! *more happy dance*  
Alright, enough happy dance. Here's chapter five._

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own nothing, not even proper grammar._

* * *

**Chapter 5: Heart Attack**

* * *

One of the many doctors in the operating room walked up to Mario, Luigi, and Peach. Toad and Toadette had stayed in the hospital's lobby.

The doctor said to them, "I am going to have to ask you to wait outside."

Luigi nodded and exited the room. Peach followed, stopping only to take one last glance at the Koopas. The doctor looked at Mario, expecting him to follow his brother's example.

Mario shook his head, "I'm a doctor, too. I should stay and help."

The doctor frowned, "I understand your concern, Mr. Mario, and I appreciate your offer, but this is much more complicated than what you studied. Rest assured the Koopalings are in good hands."

Mario's shoulders sagged. He sighed, "Alright, I wait. But I'm going to be right outside the room, not in the lobby. I want to know right away if anything happens. I also want to hear their diagnoses when you finish them. Okay?"

The doctor nodded, "Understandable. There's a bench across the hall from the door you can sit on while you wait."

Mario waited for a second, and then headed for the door. He turned back to the doctor, stating sternly, "If anything happens in here-"

"You will be first to know," the doctor confirmed, smiling.

Mario nodded, satisfied, and went through the doorway. Just as the doctor told him, there was a bench nearby. The red-clad plumber strode to it and sat down heavily. He then took off his cap and ran a hand through his brown hair, going over the morning's turn of events in his head.

Luigi came back to check on him, wondering what was taking him so long to get to the lobby. When he noticed Mario on the bench, clearly troubled, he decided to sit down next to his older bro.

They sat in silence for a good minute, with Mario staring blankly at the wall and Luigi looking anxiously at Mario.

Mario finally spoke up, "I've never seen Peach cry like that."

Luigi nearly spaced out, "Hm?"

Mario looked at him, "I've never seen Peach cry like that, Luigi."

"I know what you mean. She's usually so calm and collected. We both saw how she addressed the Blorbs outbreak," Luigi smiled weakly, "Well, at least you did. I must have slept through half the meeting."

Mario chuckled humorlessly, "She's hardly ever affected anymore when she's kidnapped… by…" Both brothers looked down somberly as the older trailed off.

"So do you think they're all okay?" Luigi voiced quietly, not looking at his brother.  
Mario put an arm around his bro. "At this point, Weegee," he said sadly, "we can only hope."

Luigi returned the gesture, and both brothers looked anxiously at the door in their secure one-armed hug.

**_*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*_**

In the hospital lobby, Toadette was in a similar embrace. She still hadn't recovered from seeing Roy Koopa's broken body. She could barely breathe.

Toad couldn't stand seeing his younger sister like this.

_I wish I knew what to do to help her. I wish I was more experienced in these types of scenarios,_ Toad thought. _I mean, I've been a comforting big brother before, but Toadette's never gone through this before. What do you do for someone who's just seen an almost-dead body?_ He looked around the room, _Maybe something to calm her nerves. Maybe the cafeteria's got something that can help._Deciding that this was the best course of action, Toad stood up from the seat he was in to go to the hospital's cafeteria.

Toadette's eyes widened. She started to hyperventilate as she reached out and latched onto Toad's vest.

Toad immediately sat back down and hugged her again. "Toadette, it's okay. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere if you don't want me to," he reassured her.

After what seemed like forever to Toad, his sister finally managed to calm down a little.  
He sighed. _I guess close contact is more important to her right now._ He gave a small squeeze.

"Toad?"

Toad looked up to see who had addressed him. It was Peach. And she looked worried.

Right, who isn't at this moment? he reminded himself. "Yes, Princess?"

"Is Toadette alright?" Peach asked him, eyeing said Toad.

Toad frowned. "No, she is not alright!" he snapped, "She just saw what could very well be a dead body!"

Peach looked at him in shock.

Toad, realizing what he just did, looked down apologetically. "Sorry, Princess. I just-"

Peach sat down next to him. "No, it's okay, Toad. Everyone's upset today."

Toad shook his head. "I still shouldn't have said that. Or snapped at you."

"I accept your apology, Toad," Peach smiled gently. "Now you just have to accept my forgiveness."

Toad finally looked at the princess, smiling sheepishly. "Thanks." Then he remembered something. "Princess, could you maybe get something from the hospital's cafeteria for me?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"I don't know, just something we could give Toadette to help her calm down. I'd go myself, but she needs me here."

Peach nodded, still smiling. "I think I know just the thing." And with that, she got up and left.

Toad looked in the direction she went. "She's such a great princess."

Within minutes, Peach was back carrying a cup of steaming liquid. She handed it to Toad.

"Here. Herb Tea."

Toad held it out in front of Toadette. "Toadette? Here. It'll make you feel better."

Toadette slowly took the paper cup and took a small sip of the tea. After a few more sips, she managed to take a deep breath. Then she downed a third of the cup. Afterward she looked at Toad and said softly, "Thanks."

The three then sat in silence as Toadette drank. They started to experience something they thought was unimaginable at that point in time: Peace.

**_*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*_**

The Mario Brothers perked up when they saw and heard the door open. The same Toad doctor Mario had spoken with earlier came out and looked at them.

"We have identified all of the Koopalings' wounds," he stated.

Mario looked at him expectantly. "Well?" he pressed.

The Toad took out clipboard and listed off the diagnoses. "While all three have many small cuts, scratches, and bruises, there are quite a few more critical injuries. Bowser Koopa Jr. managed to get the least amount of damage. The only pressing matter is a rather ugly gash in his right leg, extending from his hip to his ankle. Some of the team is stitching it up as we speak. Someone had already wrapped the wound in cloth and stopped the bleeding, which makes things easier for us. Young Bowser is the only one not hooked up to a heart monitor.

"Lawrence Koopa's condition is more alarming. He has two large bruises on his head: one on the left side and one covering his right eye. Lawrence's right forearm is broken, both bones. It was previously splinted with his spiked cuffs. We've set it in a cast. What worries me most is Lawrence's shell. The two uppermost plates of his plastron have a large crack through them, close to the heart area. Much too close. He'll need surgery to have it fixed."

"Wait," Luigi interrupted, "Why does he need surgery? I've seen lots of Koopas with cracked shells, and it's never bothered them."

"I'm afraid Dragon-Koopas are built differently than your average Koopa Troopa," the doctor informed them, "A Dragon-Koopa's shell is actually attached to his or her skeleton. The back of the shell- called the carapace- is attached to the vertebrae. The front of the shell- called the plastron-'s upper area attaches to the Dragon-Koopa's rib cage."  
Luigi slowly put the pieces together. "So what you're saying is a cracked or broken upper-plastron for a Dragon-Koopa is basically the same as cracked or broken ribs for us?"

The doctor nodded, "Precisely."

Mario bit his lip, "What else is there?"

"Roy Koopa is also in rather poor condition. His right collarbone is broken, and his left hip was dislocated, but we have already relocated it. Almost his entire forehead is bruised, and he most likely has a concussion. Half of Roy's upper left spike has been shorn off."

This time Mario was the one who interrupted, "But he's going to be fine?"

The doctor frowned in confusion. "That's just it. Roy should be fine, but seems to be getting weaker. From what his heart monitor tells us, his heart rate is getting lower. But there's simply nothing physically wrong with Roy that would be considered fatal."

"That is weird," Luigi agreed.

To Mario, however, one word managed to stand out from the doctor's last sentence, a word that even the doctor failed to notice._There's nothing **physically** wrong,_ he noted, _but Roy must need to know the other two are safe. If Roy doesn't have Larry and Jr. with him, maybe he thinks he has no reason to live._ He spoke his thoughts to the doctor and Luigi.

The doctor frowned again, "That's rather unscientific."

"This coming from the talking mushroom," Mario jeered, "We all saw how Roy clung to his brothers like a lifeline. And then we separated them."

Luigi's eyes widened, "You're saying we cut Roy's lifeline."

Mario nodded, "With a needle."

The doctor was still frowning, "I still don't think-"

Suddenly alarmed shouts came from inside the operating room. The doctor ran back into the room, Mario and Luigi following.

"What's going on?" the doctor demanded.

"Roy Koopa's heart rate has gone up!" a nurse said frantically, "It's too high; his heart might give out from the stress!"

Suddenly the room was filled with a long, dreadful _beeeeeeeeeeep_. The line on Roy's heart monitor had gone flat. His heart had stopped.

The operating room rapidly filled with panicked shouts. The nurses wheeled a defibrillator over to the right of Roy Koopa's hospital bed and handed the paddle to a doctor, who called out "Clear!" and sent a jolt of electricity into Roy. A small blip showed up on the heart monitor, but then it went dead once more. The doctor tried a second time, only to have the same result.

Mario knew what he had to do. As the doctors tried the defibrillator again, the red-clad plumber ran to Bowser Junior's hospital bed and grabbed the sides. Remembering that the doctor said he wasn't hooked up to anything, Mario carted Jr. towards the crowd of medical workers.

"**Make way!**" he called out.

The doctors and nurses looked at him in disbelief. "What in the Star Spirits' names are you doing? You can't move a patient!"

"**Trust me**," Mario said forcefully, "I know what I'm doing."

The medical team move out of the plumber's way to avoid being run over by a hospital bed. Mario wheeled the cot to the left of Roy's. Mario grabbed Bowser Junior's left wrist and placed Junior's hand firmly in Roy's right.

Blazing rubies shot open.

* * *

_And that's chapter five!_

_Now you know why cracked shells are dangerous for Dragon-Koopas! That Dragon-Koopa anatomy stuff is obviously made up. I doubt it's even turtle anatomy, so don't go telling your biology teacher what you learned from me. It's probably not accurate._

_I probably should have mentioned this after chapters 2-4; I am not going to write Mario's, Luigi's, or Ludwig von Koopa's dialogue and thoughts with their accents. It'd be too hard. There's also the fact that I don't picture Ludwig with an accent. Wait, I don't think 'picture' is the right word here. What's the word I'm looking for? 'Imagine'? Alright, let's go with 'imagine'._

_And for those of you who are wondering just what in the Star Spirits' names chapter four was all about, I'm not gonna tell! That will be revealed in a later chapter._

_Let the flaming commence! Or, you know, the reviews_


	6. Chapter 6: Awake and Alive

_You're probably wondering why I'm updating on a Monday. Two words: long weekend._

_**Disclaimer:** If anything below is recognizable, there's a 99.9964% chance I don't own it. I'm not worth a lawsuit._

* * *

**Chapter 6: Awake and Alive**

* * *

The whole world was a blur, just a jumble of colors swirling through each other, forming unidentifiable shapes.

_I'm… alive? Where am I? OW… What hurts? What's that noise?_

Soon his muddled vision lessened. He found that he was looking at an ordinary, grey tiled ceiling with fluorescent lights.

_Finally I can see! But where am I?_ Memories slowly came flowing back into his still-hazy mind. _The castle. Our home. I escaped on that airship, but it got blown up. I jumped out before it did, though. And Larry and Bowser…_ All memories suddenly cascaded onto his consciousness. _Larry and Bowser! **NO!** I didn't save them. Why didn't I do more to save them!? I wish Ludwig had just killed me. Why am I here? Where is "here", anyway? Who's touching me?_

"Roy?"

The Koopaling blinked, having been pulled out of his remorseful thoughts. He lifted his head up to look at whoever addressed him. Twin rubies met bright blues. Roy was looking into the face of Mario. It didn't take him long to figure out Mario had his hand. Roy stiffened slightly. The plumber took notice of this and released it.

"Relax," Mario said comfortingly, "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

Roy's face fell. He had hoped Mario would put him out of his misery.

_Wait. Someone's still holding my hand,_ Roy realized. He closed his hand around whomever's was holding his. _This feels like a Dragon-Koopa's hand. But whose…?_ Roy looked to his right. He gasped when he saw his youngest brother lying next to him. "Bowser…" Roy croaked.

Mario nodded, "He's going to be fine. Larry, too. They're alive," the red-clad hero smiled proudly, "and it's all thanks to you, Roy."

Roy's head snapped back to the plumber. _Me? I saved them? I saved them! They're alive!_ "Alive…" he whispered, smiling peacefully as he dropped his head back onto whatever he was lying on.

Soon Roy realized he was in a hospital room, lying on a cot. Larry was a ways away on another, and Bowser Jr. was next to him, on yet another hospital bed. Two heart monitors beeped in stereo. Doctors were everywhere. Then something started to bug Roy. He looked back at Mario.

"How-?" His voice was hoarse. Roy cleared his throat and started again, his voice much clearer this time around, "How did you find us?"

"You were in front of Castle Toadstool," the plumber replied, "Larry and Junior were inside their shells, and you were on your back. Your… carapace, was it?" Mario glanced toward the doctors to make sure he used the right word. When a few of them nodded, he continued, "You looked… dead almost. It gave poor Toadette quite a fright. Speaking of…" Mario turned around to address his brother, whom Roy just now realized was there, "Luigi, go tell the others that Roy is awake."

"On it." And just like that, Luigi was out the door.

"We landed in front of Castle Toadstool?" Roy inquired.

Mario nodded.

Roy sighed in relief, "Thank the stars."

One of the doctors piped up, "That must be how he damaged that spike."

Roy looked in the direction of the horde of Toads, "I have a damaged spike?"

The doctor spoke again, "And a dislocated hip, and a broken collarbone, and a-"

Mario cleared his throat loudly and glowered at the Toad who spoke, "Not. Helping."  
The doctor immediately shut his mouth.

Mario looked back at Roy, "Apparently half of your upper-left spike got shorn off, probably by your landing. Wait… You landed in front of Peach's Castle?"

Roy frowned, confused, "That's what I said."

"But… **landed**?"

"Yeah… Where are you going with this?"

"There was a massive explosion above the castle last night."

Roy winced as he remembered the events leading up to his literal fall.

Mario quickly analyzed the reaction. "You fell from whatever blew up, didn't you." It was a statement, not a question. Roy nodded anyway. "What happened?" Mario demanded.

Roy shook his head, "It's all a blur. I don't- AUGH!" Roy's head snapped back as pain shot through his collarbone. A nurse quickly ran up and injected him with a painkiller. After a few seconds, Roy calmed enough to speak again. "I guess I'd better not answer anything with 'no'," he joked weakly, face still contorted up because of the pain.

The nurse smirked, "Sense of humor: intact." She pretended to check something off on a clipboard dramatically.

Mario put his gloved hand over his mouth to hide a grin. A few doctors coughed to cover up their chuckles. Soon enough, the operating room was filled with a rich, living, however soft sound rarely heard within its walls: Laughter.

**_*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*_**

Toadette had since finished her tea, and the group was sitting in anxious silence.

Until Luigi came in. Everyone looked up when the door opened.

"Hey, guys," Luigi said softly as he walked towards them.

Peach spoke up, "Is there anything yet, Luigi?"

The green-clad plumber smiled and nodded. "Roy Koopa is awake."

Sighs of relief came all around.

"Any bad news?" Toad asked worriedly.

Luigi shook his head, "All three Koopas are alive, and they're going to be all right."

"Thank the stars," Peach sighed. Toad and Toadette voiced agreement.

Toadette hesitated before asking, "How hurt are they?"

Luigi frowned. He had hoped to avoid this question, but he had no choice but to answer, "Everyone is covered in scratches, cuts, and bruises. Bowser Junior's leg has a big gash, but it's mostly taken care of. Other than that, he's fine, just unconscious. Jr. is the only one not hooked up to anything. Larry Koopa has two big bruises on his head. His right arm is broken, but they've already put it in a cast. Larry's shell is also broken and he'll need surgery to have it fixed."

"What? Why?" Toad asked, confused. "I've seen lots of Koopas with cracked and broken shells, and they didn't need any surgery."

"That's what **I** said," Luigi said, shrugging, "Apparently, Dragon-Koopas' shells are attached to their spine and ribcage. A broken or cracked shell for them is like a broken or cracked rib or back for us. I think he might have bruised lungs or something, too."

Peach brought her hands to her mouth and gasped, "Oh my goodness." Her eyes began to fill with moisture again.

"He should be fine, though," Luigi reassured her, and then he continued, "Now, we all saw how Roy Koopa's head was bruised. He also has a broken collarbone and a dislocated hip. Wait, no. He **had** a dislocated hip, but the doctors took care of that. There's nothing else physically wrong. Except for when Roy's heart stopped beating."

"His heart stopped!?"

Luigi nodded, biting his lip. "Before that happened, one of the doctors told us Roy's heart rate was getting lower, meaning he was getting weaker."

"But I thought you said there wasn't anything wrong," Toadette pointed out.

"Nothing physically," the plumber corrected, "That's was the doctor told us, but Mario managed to pick up that word: 'physically'. Even the doctor didn't notice." Luigi turned  
to the princess, "Peach, remember how Roy held onto Bowser Jr. and Larry like a lifeline?"

Peach nodded, "It was brotherly instinct."

"Right. But Mario pointed out that it was much more than that. The keyword there was 'lifeline'. Mario realized that if Roy didn't feel his little brothers with him, he'd feel as if his reason to live was gone."

Princess Toadstool's eyes widened, "You mean the sedation…?"

"Cut Roy's lifeline," Luigi finished, nodding.

Toad was on the edge of his seat, "But he's awake now. What happened?"

The hero in green continued, "After Mario finished pointing that out, Roy's heart rate went off the charts. Then his heart gave out. It was chaos." Luigi paused to take a breath. "The medical Toads couldn't revive him with their equipment. But I guess Mario knew that they wouldn't work. He actually carted Bowser Junior's bed over next to Roy's." Luigi smiled as he remembered the looks on the medical Toads' faces when that happened. "Mario pressed Junior's hand into Roy's and then Roy opened his eyes!"

The others were silent for a while. Then Toadette spoke all their thoughts:

"Wow."

Silence again. Everyone was too relieved to speak. So the unanimous decision was to simply sit and enjoy each other's company, as well as the knowledge that the three Koopalings in their care were well on their way to recovery.

Unfortunately, that pleasant silence only lasted roughly sixty-four seconds.

**_*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*_**

Back at Castle Toadstool, Blue and Yellow Toad had standing guard on the walls surrounding the castle grounds. They were positioned vigilantly on either side of the main gate. They had been standing like that since the ambulances departed.

Around the time Luigi was in the middle of telling Peach, Toad, and Toadette of the events in the Koopas' operating room, the Toad Bros. both spotted something in the distance, far outside the border of Toad Town. They retrieved each a pair of binoculars and looked out onto the horizon.

Bullet Bills. Thousands upon thousands of them. They were everywhere the Toads turned. All of them had milky green skulls emblazoned on their foreheads. The Bills were releasing an endless stream of some sort of sickly greenish-yellow cloud. And they were all headed straight for Toad Town.

The Toad Brothers simultaneously jumped off the wall and made a beeline for the intercom Peach had used earlier that day. As one, they pushed a button to sound an alarm throughout Toad Town.

Yellow Toad then made a call on the device, "**_All citizens go indoors. Get to an enclosed space and block any outside ventilation. Repeat: All citizens to an indoor or otherwise enclosed area and block outside ventilation. This is not drill. I repeat: this is not-_**"

Yellow Toad was cut off as his brother grabbed the back of his vest and dragged him away. The Toads zipped into the castle as the Bullet Bills reached the edge of town.

* * *

_Bum bum BUMMMM! Sorry._

_Roy is alive! And he's awake! Now no one can come after me for killing him off, because I **didn't**.  
__Hey, Yellow Toad and Blue Toad are back! Remember them? We left them at Peach's castle way back in chapter three!  
__But what are these Bullet BIlls doing here? And what are those yellow clouds? Who knows? I mean, besides me._

_And if you thought the first six chapters were good, just wait till you see what I have in store for chapter 7! __On that note, I'll leave you to do any other stuff you need to do.  
If you review, feel free to point out any spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors that I might have missed. Then we can laugh at my mistake. __Flames will be used to lure Toad Town's people indoors, safe from the Bullet Bills._


	7. Chapter 7: Collision Curse

_Sorry for disappearing off the face of the earth like that. Life really has been crazy. The first weekend I didn't update, I was discovering the horrid experience that is writers' block for the first time, so you can't get mad at me for that. The second weekend I didn't update was the weekend of my school's musical, so all my brainpower was focused on that. Therefore, you can't get mad at me for the second weekend, either (I rocked my part, in case anybody is wondering). The third weekend... I was just lazy. **Now** you can hurl Spiny Eggs at me._

_**Disclaimer**: No matter how many chapters I post, I still don't own the _Mario_ series._

* * *

**Chapter 7: Collision Curse**

* * *

_*Night of the attack*_

"…and we'll never see each other again and King Dad'll never see us grow up and we're never gonna see Luddy go off to Dark Land Academy or hear another one of his symphonies or test out- and probably break- his latest invention cuz there won't be one and Roy will never win the wrestling world championship or be able to yell at me and Wendy isn't gonna dance or throw a tantrum or win a beauty pageant and Larry won't win the cup for the next tennis tournament and Bowsy will never paint another masterpiece ever, ever again or… **I don't wanna lose any of them**!"

As the sewers of Dark Land immediately echoed with sobs, the trek of three young Dragon-Koopas came to a halt. The Koopa in front, Lemmy, looked back to see Morton Koopa Jr. mournfully sink to the ground. Lemmy frowned when one eye drifted to the wall instead of his younger brother. He shook his head to try to realign his obsidian eyes and clear his vision, but the result was the same as it had been for the rest of the small Koopaling's life: useless.

Mentally cursing his disability, Lemmy walked back towards Morton (his favorite ball was left back at the castle during their evacuation). He rubbed his large brother's arm soothingly.

"I'm sure they're all right, Morton," Lemmy murmured, "just look at us; we're perfectly fine. The only injury around here is from when Iggy tripped on that can back there."

"B-but what they're not?" Morton blubbered.

"They'll be fine," Lemmy reassured him. "Roy, King Dad, and Ludwig aren't gonna let anything happen to them. Remember, they're the strongest Koopas ever!"

"But what if they get separated more? What if Larry and Bowser and Wendy are off on their own somewhere and grievously injured? What if they're lost? What if one of them is permanently crippled? What if one of **us**-?"

"You are safe," Lemmy cut Morton off abruptly. "Nothing is happening to you. End of story. If anyone or anything tries to so much as touch a scale on your bodies, they'll have to get through **me**, and I promise I am not going to make it easy." Lemmy narrowed his eyes as he said this.

Morton grunted and shrugged, obviously unsure of his brother's promise. Unfortunately, Lemmy still had his hand on Morton's arm, which was as big around as Lemmy's shell, and the smallest Koopaling was knocked over, landing hard on his tail. Lemmy squeaked as the appendage started throbbing.

Morton hurriedly got into a kneeling position. "Sorry Lemmy I didn't mean-"

"Relax, Morton, it's nothing," Lemmy said quickly. He did a backward somersault and got to his feet, smiling. "See?" Underneath his façade, however, Lemmy cursed his small stature. He was, however, happy that he managed to take his talkative brother's attention away from worrisome thoughts.

Lemmy's smile faded as spontaneously as it had appeared when his misaligned eye caught a glimpse of his other brother, whom up until that point had gone silently unnoticed. Ignatius Koopa's blue eyes were especially wide and his jaw was clenched in a very angst-filled grimace.

"Iggy?" Lemmy inquired, "What's wrong?"

Iggy was silent for a moment, before blurting hysterically, "**What if they're all DEAD!?**"

Morton and Iggy clutched each other to both keep from crying, eyes as big as Boos.

Lemmy swallowed hard to keep from crying himself. _I have to stay strong. For them,_ He told himself. _I have to be a big brother. _He looked at his brothers. "If they are, then… then they're with Mom," the second-oldest Koopaling smiled at the thought of his family reunited with their missing link. "They're together, and they're happy. And they'd want us to stay together and be happy, too." He took his brothers' hands. "Do you think you can do that for me? And for them? Stick together and be happy?" Lemmy looked back and forth from Iggy to Morton, looking into their eyes.

Morton sniffed, and then nodded a little.

Iggy murmured, "I guess so."

Lemmy beamed. "Then we'd better get a move-on out of Dark Land while the going is good. We need to regroup somewhere that isn't under attack. Then, we find the others." He clapped his hands. "Who's with me?"

"Us!" the younger two chorused, leaping to their feet.

"All right, let's go!" Lemmy ordered as they all turned and continued down their initial path.

"Wait!" Morton interjected.

Lemmy and Iggy turned towards the youngest of the group.

"What's up, Morty?" Iggy smirked manically.

Lemmy frowned at his tall brother's crazed demeanor. _He wouldn't even be like this if it weren't for me. I'm such a weakling. Why couldn't I be stronger? And why Iggy? Why not me?_

"Where are we going anyway?" Morton Koopa Jr. cut off Lemmy's rueful train of thought. "You said we're going somewhere that wasn't attacked and there are a gazillion places that aren't being attacked, at least as far we know, do you think other places are under attack? What if they are under attack? What if there's nowhere for us to run?" Morton started to panic attack, "What if the others tried to run away but couldn't and ended up getting captured and tortured and threatened and then k-?"

"**Morton**," Lemmy said sharply, "thinking like that won't help anyone. If our family is already dead to you, then there's no point in trying to find them. We need to stay positive. For their sake. Promise you'll keep searching?"

The chatterbox was visibly taken aback at Lemmy's profound speech. Lemmy once again cursed his diminutiveness. _Figures nobody expects a lecture from __**me**__._ So caught up was he in his thoughts, that Lemmy didn't notice Morton approach him until he found himself caught up in a crushing hug from the grey-toned Koopaling.

After a full minute, Morton heaved a sigh and whispered, "Thanks, Lem," before setting his orange-shelled brother down. If Lemmy hadn't believed the spoken gratitude, all he had to do was look in the larger Koopa's eyes for his sincerity.

After another minute of pleasant silence, Iggy voiced his thoughts, "Morton has a point. Where are we going?"

Lemmy started, as if realizing Morton's first question had indeed been sensible. "Oh yeah. Well, um…" he stammered, "Peak Land is really, really close to where we are right now. I figured we could rest once we make it there, and then go further to at least Jungle Land. Water Land at best."

Iggy brought a hand to his snout in a thinking position. Then he perked up and said, "Sounds good. Let's go."

Once again, the princes' journey continued, with Lemmy in the lead. As they walked with new purpose, Lemmy lost himself in thought again.

_That wasn't half bad. I spoke. They listened. They're nerves are calmed. Kind of. I even stopped one of Morton's ramblings. And I got a hug. Maybe I'm not so bad at this big-brother thing after all. Maybe I can do this. Maybe I'm not just some puny Koopa. Maybe-_ "Oof!"

Lemmy thoughts and path came to a halt when he slammed into something. All three Koopas looked up and were surprised to see a solid stone wall blocking their path.

"Did I take a wrong turn?" Lemmy wondered aloud.

Morton stepped resolutely up to the obstacle. "No, you led us down the right path, Lemmy."

"Morton is right," Iggy confirmed, "Although I don't know how he would know that. I myself spent two months studying maps of these sewers."

Morton ran his hand along the stone wall as he walked to one of the tunnel's brick walls. He wiped away some grime on a particular group of bricks. The other two looked closely and saw crude letters carved into them. Two words on either side of a crude heart. It read:

MORTON *_HEART_* MOM

Iggy and Lemmy were speechless as Morton explained, "Mom used to take me through here once a month to explore Peak Land. She was the reason it's one of my favorite places to visit. We carved this together on the one-year anniversary of our getaways. That was our last time." Morton finished in tears.

Lemmy was about to comfort his brother when he was cut off by a low rumble that was slowly increasing in volume. The noise was coming from directly behind the Koopalings. They turned and looked down the tunnel. That's when they noticed…

"Hey! Where'd all the side tunnels go!?" Morton yelped, "Tunnels don't just disappear off the face of reality!"

Indeed, all the side tunnels had disappeared from the sewer channel the Koopas were in. The only direction to go was down the straight passageway they were now facing.

The ground started to vibrate as the rumbling noise grew still louder.

"Is the thing that's making that noise down there?" Lemmy asked no one in particular. However, Iggy Koopa was quick to retrieve a pair of high-powered binoculars from his shell. He peered down the tunnel before them and gasped.

"**There's a giant Spike Pillar crunching away at the tunnel and it's twisting right towards us!**" he shrieked.

"**What!?"** the other two cried.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Morton screamed as he ran to the stone wall blocking their path. He brought back an arm and let loose an ultra-powerful punch. Meanwhile, Iggy had fallen into hysterics. Lemmy flinched when he heard a loud snap, which was soon followed by a cry of pain from Morton. He had broken his wrist on the wall.

_We're all going to die down here, and it's all my fault!_ Lemmy realized, horrified. _If I hadn't led them down into the sewers, this wouldn't be happening. I should have taken to the Burned Forest. But no. Instead of that, I've led my little brothers into a literal deathtrap! And I can't save them! I'm too weak, too useless…_

And so in the face of imminent doom, even as the ground shook harder than ever, Lemmy Koopa cursed his entire existence. He cursed his disability, his diminutive size, his pathetic excuse for physique, and his ineffective only spell that couldn't possibly help in their current situation.

He snorted at that last thought. _Seriously, what can a ball do for us now? It will just get destroyed._ Lemmy's eyes widened. _No, wait. My spell is almost indestructible. Maybe I can use that to our advantage! Maybe-_

Lemmy's thoughts were cut off by Iggy shrieking as an enormous Spike Pillar came into view. Its diameter was greater than the width of the sewer tunnel, so, as it spun, it grinded away at the walls. The column was approaching at a very high speed.

But everything went in slow motion as Lemmy, without thinking, leapt toward the spiked killing machine and did a midair somersault. As he flipped, the small Dragon-Koopa took his wand from his shell and cast a spell never before attempted.

A giant solid ball started to come into existence. Starting between Morton and the stone wall, it formed around the younger two Koopas. They were getting trapped inside the nearly indestructible object. The ball would finish taking shape just behind Lemmy, and he would be trapped outside to face the destructive force of the Spike Pillar. Unfortunately, it collided with the rainbow-haired terrapin before his spell had completed. The pillar pushed Lemmy back into the almost-formed ball and pressed his orange carapace the edge of it. He started to get crushed to death in between two to three seemingly invincible materials. It would take a miracle for one of Lemmy's game-enders to break before he did.

_If this ball breaks, then Morton and Iggy will die. That can't happen_, Lemmy told himself.

Lemmy gasped in pain as his plastron cracked, and his dark eyes were forced open. White cracks lined his vision. At first the Koopaling thought death was making him hallucinate. Then he realized something horrible.

_My spell- it's breaking! __**NO**__! They're not going to make it…_ Lemmy started crying. He thought of his family. _I'm sorry you couldn't have a better brother._

Just as the giant rubber ball breaking, Lemmy heard an explosion of stone. He suddenly felt himself launched upward. Then, nothing.

* * *

_So as you can see, I got bored with torturing Roy Koopa and decided to move on to the next oldest. Don't tell Bowser I said that. Now we've gone back to about the same time as when chapter 1 took place: the night of the attack._

_I gave Lemmy a bit of an inferiority complex. It makes sense, though, right? He's the second oldest, but the smallest, and probably the weakest physically.  
__I also made Iggy kind of insane, as is shown in some instances._

_Now if you'll excuse me, I will now run away in case any readers want to pelt me with Bob-ombs. *runs*_


	8. Chapter 8: Remembrance

_Don't look at me like that. I just got over three weeks' worth of writer's block. I hope the new title pic makes up for it._

_Disclaimer: If I owned anything, then Paper Mario: Sticker Star would have had that Chain Chomp partner._

* * *

**Chapter 8: Remembrance**

* * *

On a hill stood an old abandoned fortress. At one point it had housed a terrifying dragon. Now it was empty, save for a few Dull Bones that chose to make their home there. In a nearby meadow, a Koopa Troopa had his gaze on the castle. Since the destruction of the dragon and its master, the Koopa had made it a routine to come to that spot every morning and remember all that had been accomplished.

"You've come a long way, Koops," he said to himself. Koops focused, and slowly a gemstone started to materialize in front of him. The Diamond Star. "A very long way."

After he and his friends had defeated the Shadow Queen, they had distributed the Crystal Stars amongst themselves in case their power was ever needed in the future. Mario had kept the Magical Map. Koops was quick to choose the Diamond Star. It had been inside Hooktail's belly, just like Koops' father. He had formed a sort of bond with it. The adventure had rocked his world, reflecting the Diamond Star's power: Earth Tremor.

Koops put his Crystal Star away, sat down, and inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet aroma of Petal Meadows. He never got tired of that. No matter where one was in the peaceful grassland, one could always detect the scent of flowers. The fragrance somehow managed to make its way even into the depths of Hooktail's castle.

_***J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J***_

Several minutes later, Koops' eyes fluttered open. The young Koopa sat up and looked around, slightly confused.

"I guess I nodded off," he said to himself, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"Yes, you did," came a voice from behind.

Koops turned around to find his girlfriend grinning at him. "Koopie Koo? Um… what are you doing here?"

Koopie Koo sat down next to Koops without responding, but continued to smile. She leaned on him slightly, all the while enjoying the scenery of the meadow they called home.

Koops wrapped his arm around her affectionately, but he wasn't about to let his question go unanswered, "Koopie, what are you doing here?"

"What? A Koopa can't spend some quality time with her boyfriend?"

"That's not what I meant…"

Koopie giggled, "I know."

Koops sighed, "Koopie. Please, just answer my question."

"Would you believe your dad and I were worried when we couldn't find you, and I came running out of the village looking for you?"

"I've been doing this for almost a year now. No."

"You forgot your breakfast?"

"I grabbed a Mushroom on my way out."

Koopie Koo bit her lip as she tried to think of another excuse. "Uh… you're still asleep and this is a dream?"

Koops quirked an eyebrow. "This is pretty realistic for a dream."

Koopie grinned. "That's not exactly a comeback."

"You didn't really give me much to respond to."

When Koopie Koo couldn't think of a response, she sighed in fake exasperation. "Fine. Stubborn Koopa. I was bored and your dad snores like a chainsaw. I had to get out!"

Koops sighed. "It beats the silence that the house had before."

The other Koopa rolled her eyes. "That doesn't make me want to stuff his beak with a pillow any less."

"I guess."

Silence.

"Koopie, can I tell you something?"

The girl perked up. "Yes?"

"Don't tell Dad I said this."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Another reason I come out here is to get away from his snoring."

Koopie Koo stared at her boyfriend for a bit. Then she laughed, "Really?" Koops nodded bashfully. Koopie Koo laughed again, "Doesn't Mario snore, though?"

Koops frowned. "I could deal with that. Mario doesn't sound like a stampede. And trust me; I know what a stampede sounds like."

"Your Yoshi friend can summon one, right?"

"Gonzales Jr., yes," Koops confirmed. "We still can't figure out where all those Yoshis come from."

Koopie gave him a strange look. "'We'?"

Koops shrugged. "Me, Gonzales, Goombella, Flurrie, anyone. We even asked Merlon."

"I remember him. He's that weird wizard guy with the big mustache in Rogueport that gave you your new moves, right?"

"…Yeah. Him," was Koops' hesitant response.

Koopie smiled. "It's really cool how he can do that."

"It sure is," Koops agreed.

Suddenly a buzzing sound filled the air. Koops reached into a pocket in his grey hoodie and pulled out a Mailbox SP.

"It's from Ms. Mowz," he told his girlfriend. He looked closer at the e-mail and added, "It looks like she sent this to the others, too." He read aloud:

_Hello everyone. I'm not sure if any of you know, but there's this nasty rumor spreading around about Dark Land being attacked last night. And by "nasty rumor", I mean it's all over the news._

_For those of you who don't know, Dark Land is the location of the Koopa Kingdom. Bowser was attacked._

Koopie Koo interrupted, "How is that strange? He must have kidnapped Peach or something and Mario rescued her again. That's not exactly 'main headline'-worthy."

Koops shrugged and continued:

_You may be wondering why this is so important. Well the fact is, Mario is not responsible, and Princess Peach was out of the country for political matters. There is no known reason behind the attack. It really has everyone baffled._

_Now the reason I am telling you this is because I am looking for Bowser's family. Apparently, Bowser's children have disappeared. As far as I know, there are 8 kids total. They could be anywhere, what with all the Warp Pipes scattered across the planet, so I'm not about to rule out the Rogueport area as a possible location._

_Dead or alive, I feel finding the children would be the right thing to do. The youngest one is only five years old. I can't bear the thought of one dying so young, or, if so, being refused a proper burial._

_I request that all of you involve yourselves, as well._

_Till we meet again_

_Ms. Mowz_

Both Koopas were silent as Koops closed his Mailbox.

Koopie Koo finally spoke, although her voice was barely above a whisper, "W-we should head back to Petalburg."

Koops stood. "Ms. Mowz is right. We have to do something."

"At least come back to the village and get some items," Koopie ordered. "And tell your dad what's going on."

Koops nodded. "Good idea."

The couple turned and sprinted toward home. When they saw the bridge preceding their little town, they picked up the pace.

Which was why Koops was surprised when, by the time he crossed the bridge completely, there was no girl beside him. Koops turned around and saw Koopie Koo standing in the middle of the bridge, looking upstream.

Koops walked up beside his girlfriend. "Koopie? Is something wrong?"

Koopie pointed. Koops looked where she was indicated. Three dots were coming down the river. Koops squinted as they came closer. He gasped at what came into view.

Floating down the river were three very dead-looking Dragon-Koopas.

* * *

_Don't look at me like that. I already told you that this isn't a death fic. Just because Bowser doesn't care about that fact doesn't mean you all shouldn't._

_Just leave a nice review. They help fuel my writing. They also help me get away from angry Dragon-Koopas._

_***CRASH***_

_Speaking of... *runs away*_


	9. Chapter 9: Gasp for Air

_Instead of saying why I took so long, I've decided to tell you everything I've been doing INSTEAD OF writing this :P  
1) I got my driver's __license. Go me! Don't worry, you're not in danger :P  
2) I got a blast of nostalgia, went on YouTube, and watched half of the first season of Thomas the Tank Engine.  
3) I decided to look for and start watching the new Ninja Turtles on the internet, since I don't get Nick (and I don't really care).  
__4) A reviewer threatened to tell Bowser where I am if I didn't update. Quite motivating. They are now basking in the satisfaction of being recognized upon reading this. And now they're smiling and nodding, because I KNEW that's how they would feel.__  
_

_**Disclaimer:** Noun; in commercial law, a statement refusing to accept responsibility for something, e.g. a denial of legal liability for any injury associated with a product_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Gasp for Air**

* * *

Koops blinked in shock. _Could those be some of Bowser's kids? They look like they might be._

"K-Koops," Koopie Koo whispered shakily, snapping him out of his stupor. Immediately Koops surged forward and dove off the side of the bridge. "Wait!" Koopie cried after him, but he had already hit the water and started swimming toward the three floating bodies. She hesitated before building up her nerve and jumping after her boyfriend, knowing that rescuing all three royals was more than the one Koopa could handle on his own, no matter how strong he had become with Mario.

Koops pumped his arms and legs as hard as he could. The young Koopa swam towards the largest Koopa, not wanting to leave Koopie to a likely heavy load. When he reached the monochrome form, he tried pushing it to shore, but with little success. The momentum from the water flow was too strong for Koops alone, but he wasn't about to be bested by a river. Koops called upon his Shell Shield ability and deflected the body towards the water's edge. Koops held his breath until the Dragon-Koopa was washed ashore.

While this was happening, Koopie Koo was pulling the tall one along with great effort. Soon, the second Dragon-Koopa was beached. Only one more was left. The small one. Koops and Koopie Koo swam towards the small figure.

_This one shouldn't be too big of a challenge, right?_ Koopie said to herself. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one who thought so.

A small piranha-like Chomp leapt out of the water as the small Dragon-Koopa suddenly vanished beneath the surface.

"Nibbles!" Koops gasped before diving underwater. Koopie Koo followed suit. She wished she didn't.

Beneath the waves was a whole school of Nibbles! Apparently, they all thought small Dragon-Koopas would make for an easy meal. Especially unmoving ones. Koopie Koo wanted to scream.

Koops retreated into his shell and flung himself towards the predators in an attack. When he felt impact, he popped out of his shell to see if he hit his mark. His eyes widened when he saw a rather annoyed Nibbles staring at him. Just annoyed. No damage.

Lungs aching for air, Koops shot for the surface. His girlfriend followed.

"Koops!" Koopie yelled, "Your dad told me something about Nibbles once! He said they have freaky-high defense! Your attacks won't work!"

Koops growled softly in frustration, "I can pierce their defense." And he dove once more. This time he used Shell Slam.

Koopie watched in amazement as Koops' spinning shell plowed through the Nibbles. The creatures scattered and fled, deciding they could find easier prey elsewhere. The two Koopas didn't celebrate Koops' victory, however, as they looked around for the remaining royal Koopa. Panic boiled inside them when they couldn't spot the orange shell they were looking for.

Then Koops spotted it. The skirmish with the Nibbles sent the small Dragon-Koopa to the bottom of the river; one foot stuck in the murk lying on the riverbed. Koops and Koopie swam down to the limp royal and tried pulling upward, but the rainbow-haired Koopa was stuck fast. This confused the two rescuers, because the grime at the bottom was usually loose.

Koops lowered himself and dug around the Dragon-Koopa's trapped ankle. He was surprised when his fingers caught on something that was definitely not supposed to be in a river. He dug deeper and discovered what appeared to be part of an old chain-link fence. A little yellow foot was wedged in one of the openings. Koops tried pulling the foot out, but Koopie Koo stopped him and pointed out a small scrape on the Dragon-Koopa's ankle. Pulling the foot out would only make it worse, Koops realized.

Koopie then grasped side of the links surrounding the appendage and gestured for Koops to do the same on the other side. He did so, and they started pulling the metalwork apart. They hadn't made very much progress when they needed to replenish their lungs again. Once more they made for the air above. After both taking in as much oxygen as their chests could hold, the couple went back underwater. They were met with the horrible sight of air bubbles leaking out of the Dragon-Koopa's mouth and nose.

_They'll drown without even knowing it! _Koopie realized.

They darted to the chain-link fence and pulled with all their combined might. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful. They started to despair until they heard a _snap snap_. Opening their eyes, which they didn't remember closing, the two saw the remaining Dragon-Koopa being dragged towards the riverbank by a small figure. Koops and Koopie Koo glanced at each other before following this newcomer, preparing for whatever it might be.

They slowly surfaced, wanting to identify whatever had seemingly rescued Bowser's child. Koops shot up all the way and grinned when he saw who it was.

"Ms. Mowz!" Koops ran up to his friend, Koopie right behind.

"How did-?" Koopie began.

"Later," Mowz interrupted. "Right now, we need to get these three someplace they can get proper medical attention."

Koops nodded. "She's right." He turned to the three prone Dragon-Koopas. "But there's no way we can carry them to into town on our own. We'll need help."

Koopie stepped up. "I can handle that." She took a deep breath.

Koops' eyes widened, and he covered his ears. Ms. Mowz was confused at her friend change in behavior at first, but she quickly put two and two together and followed Koops' example. And it was a good thing she did.

Koopie Koo let out an earsplitting scream.

_***J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J *J*J*J*J***_

Minutes later, the group was at Petalburg Health Center. The building itself was barely twice the size of Koops' own house, but it held the proper equipment.

Due to the hospital's small size, there was no waiting room, so Koops, Koopie, and Ms. Mowz resorted to waiting outside. They were soon joined by Koops' dad, Koopley. No one said a thing as they waited for news, hopefully good, to come from the doctors. After several minutes, the unnerving silence was broken, much to the relief of everyone present.

"Ms. Mowz?" Koopie Koo's voice was very small. She fought the urge to shrink back when everyone looked at her. "H-How did you find us? Or them?"

"I'm a thief, dearie," Mowz replied emotionlessly. "I know the scent of royalty. I just followed it."

Koops knew from experience that the badge hunter **should** have had a mischievous gleam in her eye and tone in her voice when she said that, under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, this day did not hold the group's ideal "normal circumstances".

Koopie piled on, "How did you get that little Dragon-Koopa out of the fence?"

Koopley cut in, "Hold on, now. Would someone please tell me what all this is about?"

Koops, Koopie Koo, and Ms. Mowz looked at each other and nodded. Koops sighed, and proceeded to tell his father all that he knew of the events of that morning. Koopie Koo weighed in every so often with her own thoughts on what happened. The couple explained as much as they could, although their knowledge was greatly limited on Ms. Mowz's e-mail and the rescue of the final Dragon-Koopa. Mowz explained that while she knew little about the Dark Land tragedy, she would say how she saved the royal Koopa, using a visual aid.

Mowz focused to summon a dark orange Crystal Star. "I used the Garnet Star's Special Move to break the fence."

Koopley and Koopie Koo "hm"ed in acknowledgement.

Koops, however, looked at his friend skeptically. "How did you know Showstopper worked on ordinary objects?"

"I didn't."

Koops stared wide-eyed at Mowz's bluntness.

"All I knew was I had to do **something**." Mowz shrugged. "I didn't know what I was doing at the time. I guess I just acted on instinct."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

After a short moment of anxious silence, Koopley spoke, "Do you know who they are?"

No one answered.

"Anyone?" he persisted.

"No, Dad," his son answered dejectedly. "We don't even know if they're boys or girls."

"How do we even know if they're the Koopas we're looking for?" Koopie Koo wondered aloud.

"Goombella could probably find out," Ms. Mowz mused softly. She was unaware of the wisdom in her own statement.

Soon, however, she, along with all the others, perked up in realization.

"That's it!" Koops exclaimed. "Goombella can use Tattle on them." He whipped out his Mailbox SP to e-mail said Goomba.

"E-mail everyone," Ms. Mowz said. "They might have started searching, too. They'll probably want to know if anyone has made any progress."

Koops nodded and started writing a brief message.

_Everyone. Found 3 Dragon-Koopas. Don't know who they are. Need Goombella to I.D. We are in Petalburg now._

Koops hit "send".

Now all they had to do was wait. Wait for something to happen, be it a friend's arrival or a doctor's diagnosis of one of the rescued.

It felt like an eternity.

* * *

_This chapter was pretty boring if you ask me. Although I DID come across some speed bumps. Mainly it was that I had to refrained from using gender-specific pronouns when referring to the Koopalings present in this chapter. The reason? I wanted it to be in the others' perspective. As Koops stated, they even don't know the Dragon-Koopas' genders.  
_

_Read and Review. And don't forget to wish your moms a happy Mother's Day tomorrow!_


	10. Chapter 10: Useless to You

So, after having to deal with studying for finals, **doing** said finals, preparing for my big brother's graduation, and finally attending the graduation ceremony, summer has officially started. You know what that means? It means more time for me to WRITE WRITE WRITE! Did I mention write? No? Well I can write.  
Okay, I admit; I spent the first week of summer vacation lying around doing nothing. Give me a break; it was the first week of summer! I think I deserved some lazy time.

Okay, enough stalling. I give you chapter 10.

Disclaimer: If I owned them, the Koopalings would still be Bowser's kids. They'd also be playable in spin-offs. Can you imagine Bowser's whole family as a baseball team? Crap, I'm stalling again.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Useless to You**

* * *

_"Hello?"_

_Lemmy's small voice echoed through the charred canyon. Fog filled the air around him._

_"Can anyone hear me? Hello!" he called out._

_Again, the only response was his own squeaky voice, bouncing off the rock walls. The stone seemed to mock him as he wandered aimlessly, towering over his tiny form. He was like a rat in a maze. And all alone._

How did I get here, anyway? **When** did I get here? The last thing I remember is… is…_ Lemmy furrowed his brow. He couldn't remember. Why couldn't he remember?_

_He called out again, "Anybody? Hello! Where am I?"_

_Lemmy was trying hard not to panic. He had no idea where he was._

_"I just wanna go home," he whimpered._

_Lemmy shivered as a breeze rushed through the canyon._

_"I wish one of the others was here. I'd feel a lot better if someone was with me."_

_Another cold draft came through. But this time it carried something._

_"Leeeeemmmyyyyyy…" came a voice, carried on the breeze._

_"Huh?" Lemmy turned towards the voice. "Is someone there? Hello?"_

_"Leeeeemmmyyyyy…" the mystery voice called again._

_Whoever it was, their voice sounded warm and inviting. And mysteriously familiar. Lemmy followed the direction the voice came from, despite a sudden feeling in his gut to turn around and flee in the other direction. After what felt like a mile, Lemmy once again heard his name called._

_"Leeeeemmmyyyyyy…"_

_But no one appeared._

_Lemmy started getting annoyed. "This isn't funny anymore!" he yelled. "Who are you? __**Where**__ are you?"_

_"Leeeeemmmyyyyy…"_

_Lemmy yelped and spun around when the voice came from behind him. Through the fog he could see a silhouette of someone, or something. It was tall, slender, but bulky in the torso. A shell, maybe? On top was a plume of what was possibly hair._

That looks like…_ "Iggy?" Lemmy hoped._

_Almost as if in response, the fog cleared slightly, but not completely. It was enough, though, that Lemmy could see that it was, in fact, his brother Ignatius._

_"Iggy!" Lemmy sighed in relief. "Boy, am I glad to see you. Are the others here, too?"_

_Iggy just smiled manically and barked a laugh. Then he turned around and ran off into the fog. Lemmy quickly started following, albeit at a much slower pace, walking as fast as he could._

_"Iggy, wait!" he called after his brother. "Slow down! You know I can't run!"_

_Iggy didn't seem to here. Lemmy soon lost sight of him._

_"Iggy!"_

_Just like earlier, the only response Lemmy got was a series of echoes. He sunk to the ground in disbelief. He was alone. Again._

_Suddenly he heard a scream of terror._

_"__**IGGY!**__" Lemmy took off again in his brother's direction._

_This time Lemmy ran. His weak legs screamed in protest, but he ignored them. He had to get to Iggy! Unfortunately, they gave out beneath him almost immediately. Lemmy yelped as he fell to the ground, landing flat on his face. Tears pricked his eyes as he brought a hand to his freshly injured snout. He quickly disregarded it, however. He had more important things to worry about. Lemmy tried pushing himself up, but he found his strength gone._

_"Iggy…" he moaned._

_He tried pushing himself up again, but with no success._

_"Come on. Come on," he coaxed his arms. He tried again._

_Same result._

_Lemmy growled, "Get __**up**__, you pathetic excuse for a Dragon-Koopa!"_

_Slowly, but surely, Lemmy pushed himself up._

_Only to find a hand on his carapace shove him back down._

_"Wha-?" Lemmy was cut off as his jaw hit the solid granite beneath it. That stung. By the stars, did it sting._

_Lemmy opened his eyes from flinching. His leveled eye met the terrified blue orbs of another. Iggy._

_Immediately, Lemmy's big-brother instincts took over. "Don't worry, Iggs," Lemmy tried pushing himself up, "I'm gonna get you out of here."_

_A dark, amused chuckle escaped whoever was holding him down, causing Lemmy's attention to shift. "Don't make promises you can't keep, little one," it teased as the thick fog lifted._

_It. That's all Lemmy could make of the voice. It sounded to be a mixture of hundreds of voices, male and female alike._

_Iggy screeched. Lemmy redirected his attention to the bespectacled Koopa. Lemmy gasped when a shadowy hand materialized on top of his brother's green head. No doubt it belonged to their captor._

_"Your brother has so many incredible thoughts and ideas running through his head," the voice cooed. Its hand scratched Iggy's head softly, causing him to whimper."I wouldn't mind taking a few for myself. Say, maybe, all of them? Of course, doing so would break his mind completely. He'll live. He'll just be unresponsive. A vegetable, you could say." A downright sadistic, twisted laugh came from the thing as Lemmy froze at the thought of his precious brother's beautiful mind being completely shattered. "It certainly would fit his hairstyle, wouldn't you agree?"_

_"No…"_

_"But I digress, I see it as a small price to pay."_

_"No…"_

_"I mean, his mind is already partially broken. What's the rest of it?"_

_"That was my fault…" Lemmy whimpered. "I was too weak to save him."_

_"And you're too weak now," the voice hissed into his ear coldly, sending shivers down the Koopaling's spine. "Face it, how could you, a puny, useless Koopa, ever expect to protect your family. You can't fight. You can barely walk. You don't see what's right in front of you. Your dear, __**dear**__ brother deserves better." The hand tightened its grip on Iggy's skull and a black aura surrounded it. "Which is why I'm giving him the mercy of never processing your presence again."_

_Iggy gave a pain-filled shriek as the black aura envelope him._

_"__**NO!**__" Lemmy screamed in horror. He tried to scramble to his brother, but the monster kept him on the ground._

_Soon the aura around Iggy subsided, as did his scream. The hand on his head was gone. And the weight on Lemmy's shell. But Lemmy couldn't move. He was frozen at the sight before him._

_Iggy's eyes were blank. They held no fire. No light. He was gone._

_"Thanks for the brainpower. I really appreciate it," the voice couldn't depart without one last taunt._

_Lemmy sobbed._

_Suddenly there was a rumble. The entire canyon was shaking violently. Cracks formed on every stone surface. The chasm walls crumbled, as did the ground beneath Lemmy and Iggy._

_But Lemmy took no notice. All he knew was the brother that he was too weak to save._

_The entire canyon fragmented and fell away, giving way to a yawning black void below._

_Lemmy didn't even cry out as he plunged into the darkness._

* * *

Aaaaand- END CHAPTER.

Well? What did you think?

Oh yeah. I also went back and tweaked a few things in the previous chapters. Remember, people, positive criticism is always accepted!

Have a nice rest of the day !(lasts until midnight)


	11. Chapter 11: Identified

_Do you know what's worse than having writer's block during summer vacation?  
Yeah. Me neither._

_Great news, though! Coooool123 helped me conquer the block! So let's hear it for her! *applauds*_

_**Disclaimer:** Just because I can pwn them, doesn't mean I own them._

* * *

**Chapter 11: Identified**

* * *

Minutes that seemed like hours passed in anxious silence. No sign of Goombella or anyone else who could have responded to Koops' e-mail. No doctor had come out of the clinic either.

Waiting was maddening. The whole group perked up at every approaching footsteps and every opening door, hoping for a face to bring relief. Thirty minutes of constant disappointment and frustration.

Koops huffed after the seventh door in a row was a false alarm. _I don't know how much more of this I can take. Someone,__** please**__ come._

"Koops!"

Everyone jumped at the new voice. Heads darted this way and that to identify the speaker. They started to wonder if they had imagined it when a Shadow emerged from the ground.

"I came as quickly as I could. What's going on?"

"Vivian!" Koops and Ms. Mowz said.

Koopley added, "It's a shame that this reunion is bittersweet."

Koops, Koopie Koo, and Ms. Mowz relayed the day's recent events to the Shadow Siren, each taking turns as the details progressed.

By the time they finished, Vivian was frowning.

"So you're saying we still know nothing," Vivian reaffirmed.

Ms. Mowz nodded, "That appears to be the case."

Vivian sighed, "So what now? Do we wait until Goombella gets here or somebody comes out of the clinic?"

Koopie Koo groaned, "I don't think I can take any more waiting."

Koops shook his head. "Me neither. I thought I was going to go crazy until you showed up, Vivian."

"We don't have a choice, son," Koopley said.

Koops ran a hand over his head. "I know, I know."

Ms. Mowz nodded towards the father and son. "This stress isn't going to do us any good, either."

Nobody could argue with that. Everyone hated the tension that was building up with each second. They needed a distraction. But how could they focus on something else without feeling guilty about ignoring three Koopas who could possibly be lying on their deathbeds? They managed to get a break last time when Vivian arrived. Unless someone else came, the stress would continue to grow.

"Yo! Koops! Ms. Mowz! Vivian! What's up?"

Right on cue.

The group looked down the road to see a green Yoshi kid fast approaching with a Goomba girl not far behind.

Gonzales Jr. skidded to a halt and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow..

Gonzales grinned when he saw Goombella was panting when she stopped. "Too bad you're not an athlete or a Yoshi, like me. You'd be a lot better at running."

"Shut… up…" Goombella huffed in between breaths. "You're… the one… who started… **sprinting**… after getting… out of the… Warp Pipe."

"Nobody told you to come after me."

"Um, hello?" Koopie Koo waved her arms to get their attention. "You guys are here for us, right?"

The Yoshi kid blinked. "Oh yeah. Right. So, uh… What's up guys?"

Koopie Koo looked at the others. "Do we really have to explain everything again?"

"Um," Koops started.

Goombella interrupted, "No, you don't. Just tell me what our Dragon-Koopas looks like and I'll see if I can find anything on them." As if to emphasize her point, she had her Tattle Log at the ready.

"Well…"

Koops and the others wracked their brains to remember how the Dragon-Koopas looked.

Koopie Koo was the first to speak, "There was a big one with dark skin."

Goombella started flipping through pages rapidly, searching for a match.

Koops nodded, remembering the Koopa he had rescued. "The big one had a white head with a star mark on their left eye. They had four f-"

"Aha!" Goombella exclaimed. "A section on 'the Koopalings'. From what you've said, I'd have to guess that the big one is this guy," she turned the book so the others could see the picture, "Morton Koopa Jr."

Koops gasped, "That's him!"

"Let's see," Goombella quickly scanned the pages on Morton. "According to this, Morton is the third-youngest, but the third-largest."

Koopley gave a low whistle, "Isn't that something."

Goombella continued to list of the book's details, "He's pretty strong; he's a chatterbox; by the birth date given, and if my math is right, he's eleven." She looked up from her book. "It looks like that's it on this guy. Can you tell me about the others?"

"Hang on. Is there a picture of all eight Koopalings in your book?" Koops asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I was thinking it might be easier if we pointed them out to you," Koops suggested.

Goombella blinked. "You know, that's not a bad idea."

She flipped to the desired page and showed the picture. Koops, Koopie Koo, and Ms. Mowz pointed out the other Koopalings they had found in the river. Goombella looked them up quickly.

"Okay. Ignatius Koopa. He's usually just called 'Iggy'. He's the fourth-oldest. Obviously he's the tallest and thinnest. Nearsighted, so he wears glasses. DUH! Age 14. Looks like the kid's a dang genius, one of the biggest minds in the world! He used to have a rainbow mohawk, but apparently an experiment went wrong and blew up in his face and gave him that green hair. When everyone didn't complain and actually said it looked kinda cool, he decided to keep it that way. I guess it's a **little** cool." Goombella's eyes widened, "What's this? 'Suffered severe head-trauma at age ten, permanently brain-damaged since'."

"Oh my," Vivian said sadly. "What ever happened?"

Goombella scowled, "This stupid book doesn't say." She shook her head in frustration and moved on to the last Koopa, "Lemmy Koopa. Second oldest. Wow! I wouldn't have thought that at first glance. I mean, he's so small! Anyway, he's the smallest in his family. Ooh, ouch. That can't be pleasant. He's a very happy child, though. Optimistic. He'll always try to make you smile. What a nice kid!"

Goombella's face suddenly fell.

"What's wrong?" Koops asked.

"It says here that his legs are underdeveloped and he can't run. He can walk, but not very fast. His eyes are also misaligned, so he can never see straight."

"But he still tries to make people happy," Koopie Koo commented. "That's so sweet."

Koopley nodded, "He obviously doesn't let his disabilities get the better of him. Right there is a hardy Koopa."

Goombella nodded, smiling, "You're right. According to this, he's really acrobatic and usually gets around by riding on top of a rubber ball. That can't be easy, but I guess it's a breeze for him." The Goomba chuckled lightly, "It says here he dreams of joining the circus."

Warm smiles spread through the group. They all looked forward to meeting this Lemmy Koopa.

Just then, the clinic door opened.

* * *

_Well, that's it for chapter eleven!_

_Would you mind telling me what you think? Positive criticism is encouraged! Flames are not! Threats to give my location away to the royal Koopa family... will give me a heart attack.  
__*jumps at a knock at my door*_


	12. Chapter 12: Sleep and Suffering

_This update didn't take nearly as long as the last one did. Go me!_

_Disclaimer: Move along. Nothing to own here._

* * *

**Chapter 12: Sleep and Suffering**

* * *

_Where am I? Am I awake or asleep? Or am I dead?_

Lemmy couldn't tell. His eyelids felt heavy as Thwomps and breathing was painful.

_Wait… pain?_

Lemmy's mind groggily processed the concept.

_Pain means I'm alive._

The semi-conscious Koopaling tried to move, but found his body unresponsive.

_No… Don't let me be back in that canyon._

He could barely feel a thing. What he did feel was cold air on his chest and stomach.

_Wait, cold air shouldn't be able to get there. My shell is in the way._

As clouded as his mind was, Lemmy was still able to figure out that if air was reaching his chest and stomach, then his plastron was cracked or- the Stars forbid- gone. Lemmy felt someone or something prodding at the sensitive tissue underneath.

_Shouldn't that hurt…?_

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, pain made itself apparent. For some reason, however, it was barely a tingle. Lemmy figured he was getting surgery for his plastron.

_But why doesn't it hurt? Why can't I __**feel**__ anything?_

He vaguely processed muffled voices coming from nearby.

_***J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J ***_

The doctor knew he probably should have been prepared for an onslaught of questions upon exiting the hospital, but the Koopa couldn't help but stumble backward when his personal space suddenly gained seven new, chatty occupants. Luckily, one of those new occupants noticed this and grabbed his arm before he fell.

"Whoa, there! Sorry about that," Koopley exclaimed as the doctor steadied himself.

Everyone settled down and waited for the doctor to give them the precious information.

"Well," the doctor began.

The others all leaned in a little closer in anticipation. The sight would have been comical, were it not for the circumstances.

Ignoring them, the doctor continued, frowning deeply, "Of the three Dragon-Koopas you've brought in, the small one-"

"Lemmy Koopa," Goombella chimed in.

"-is by far in the worst condition. To put it simply, his plastron is almost completely fractured."

Gasps came from all three Koopas present. Goombella, having studied Dragon-Koopa anatomy, also winced.

Looking at the others' reactions, and then finally the doctor, Gonzales Jr. demanded, "So I'm guessing that's a really, really bad thing."

"Yes," the doctor replied, "Unlike a normal Koopa Troopa, such as myself, a Dragon-Koopa's plastron is part of their ribcage. It takes surgery to remove all the fractured pieces, then put the shell back together."

Gonzales grimace, "Yikes."

The doctor turned to Koops, "You say you found the Koopas in the river."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Well, then the Stars must be watching over the little one. No pieces of his shell are missing. The waters are very rapid upstream."

"So surgery has already started."

"Yes, and it is going rather well."

Sighs of relief came all around.

The doctor continued with the diagnoses, "The other two don't have nearly as severe wounds. The big, dark one-"

Goombella piped in again, "Morton."

The doctor gave her a pointed look. "-appears to have a broken wrist, as well as some bruised knuckles. And all that the lanky one-"

"Ignatius."

Glare. "-all that **Ignatius** has suffered is a minor scrape of the elbow. Overall, recovery should be a breeze for all three-"

A hysterical scream pierced the morning air.

"**WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? WHERE AM I?**"

Everyone ran into the hospital. They were met with the sight of Iggy Koopa screaming his head off and flailing on his cot.

A nurse whispered to him, "Shh. You're safe." Iggy didn't seem to process her. She gently placed a hand on his plastron in a soothing gesture.

Unfortunately, this made Iggy panic even more. The surgeons working on in the adjacent room couldn't work with this kind of noise, and made their problem apparent to the occupants of the main room.

Eventually, after several failed attempts to calm Iggy down, one doctor stepped forward with a Sleepy Sheep. Soon illusions of stampeding sheep passed in front of Iggy's eyes, making the lids heavy. Eventually he fell asleep, and the surgeons were able to operate on Lemmy without any trouble.

The group of partners, however, was taken aback at the lanky Koopa's display.

"Do you think that came from the 'severe head-trauma' the book talked about?" Koopley asked no one in particular.

"Probably," Goombella confirmed, "but I don't want to have to see that again."

No one argued with her.

"Do you think it's good that the others are knocked out?" Gonzales Jr. asked. Upon receiving confused looks, he explained, "I mean, I know you guys aren't exactly my real family, not that I have **any** real family, but I also know that I don't want to see or hear any of you like that." He gestured towards Iggy.

Vivian hugged the little Yoshi. "I get it. They're better off not knowing."

_***J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J ***_

Unbeknownst to the group, while Lemmy was not conscious enough for the surgeons or their equipment to detect, somehow, he had in fact heard everything.

_Poor Iggy! Why did it have to be you? Why couldn't I do anything? I'm so useless…_

Just as the operation was nearing completion, Lemmy slipped back into total unconsciousness.

_***J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J ***_

Soon the Koops and the group were waiting back outside. It still wasn't easy. As the minutes passesd, everyone was doing whatever menial task they could find to keep their minds off the Koopalings. Koops kicked at the dirt. Gonzales Jr., who was intently picking at the grass, flopped onto his back with an exasperated groan. Ms. Mowz-

Ms. Mowz spotted a glint of light in the distance. "Hm?" She got to her feet and looked more carefully in the direction of the light. Something was coming. A lot of somethings, as a matter of fact. "What is that?"

Everyone snapped to attention. "What's what?"

The badge thief pointed. "Something's coming."

Vivian hovered high into the air to get a better view.

"What is it?" Goombella shouted up to her.

"I don't know." The former Shadow Siren came back down. "Whatever's coming ought to get here soon, though."

No sooner had she said that did a Bullet Bill whiz by, followed by scores more. An ugly yellow cloud was left in their wake. Everyone backed against the hospital to avoid being hit by a Bill, all the while covering their mouths and noses to avoid breathing in what looked like poison.

One Bullet Bill veered off in their direction and smashed through a window, entering the hospital.

* * *

_I wish I could think of something witty to say down here, but I can't. Oh well. Review_


	13. Chapter 13: Catacombs

_Bad news. School starts in four weeks. When that happens I'll only be able to update on weekends, i.e. Saturdays, Sundays, days off of school, and sick days. I'd better get writing! WRITE LIKE THE WIND, BULLSEYE! Er... Sorry. Random moment. Ahem..._

_This chapter is the longest so far- a whopping six pages! And **somewhere** in those six pages is a reference to a children's cartoon. If you think you've found it, mention it in your review. If you guessed right, you get brownie points ;)_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I tried kidnapping them once. It didn't work. Bowser is a lot better at that sort of thing._

* * *

**Chapter 13: Catacombs**

* * *

_*Night of the attack*_

A stone wall slid into place as an ancient chant was finished. A pair of arms lowered from their outstretched position as two sapphire eyes opened.

"There," Ludwig von Koopa sighed and turned to face the Koopaling behind him, "We'll be safe here."

Wendy O. Koopa gave him a look. "Are you sure? What **is** this place anyway? I didn't know the castle had a place like this."

Ludwig gave a sad smile and started walking deeper into the chamber. Wendy quickly followed. "That's the beauty of it."

"Huh?"

"Only four people know about the existence of the royal catacombs: Kammy, Kamek, Father, and myself." He glanced at his sister. "And now, you do, too."

Wendy looked around, uncomfortable. "It's so dark in here. And dirty."

"Yeah. It usually doesn't get many visitors." _Only permanent residents,_ Ludwig's mind added. In a single, smooth motion the oldest Koopaling retrieved his wand from its hiding place in his shell. "But a simple illumination spell should fix our vision problem." _A simple illumination spell should have a 100% chance of success,_ his mind added teasingly. Ludwig scowled, mentally telling his brain where it could shove its negativity.

The blue stone on the musical maestro's wand started to glow with a fire-like light. The dim light revealed square stone posts running along each wall.

Wendy walked over to one of the stones. "What are these? What's in here that's so important?"

Ludwig walked beside her and wiped away a thick layer of dust on the stone, revealing a nameplate.

KING MORTON KOOPA  
AGE 28 – DIED IN BATTLE

Wendy's turquoise eyes widened. "Is this- you mean- these are…" she stammered, before looking at a mural of a dark Dragon-Koopa behind the post.

"Wendy," Ludwig put a hand on her shoulder. "Say hi to our grandfather."

Wendy looked at him. "So are all Koopa kings buried here when they…" she swallowed, "die?"

"Not just kings," Ludwig said, "any of our family's royalty is buried here. Grandmother is right next to him." He gestured to the mural of Queen Kalonice Koopa and her corresponding post.

"That means…" Wendy brushed Ludwig away and ran to the last mural on the wall.

Ludwig somberly walked beside her and gazed at the wall. And at the artwork of a beautiful Dragon-Koopa displayed upon it.

Queen Clawdia Koopa.

Wendy grabbed her brother's hand as tears built up in her eyes. "Mom."

Ludwig bowed his head and said nothing.

"You knew…" Wendy said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"You **knew** about this place and didn't tell us!" Wendy suddenly turned on him, angry. "How long did you know about these? Why didn't you tell any of us if you knew?"

Ludwig grabbed her. "BECAUSE I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW!"

"You- what?" Wendy had had many more accusations in store, but she was thrown off at her brother's confession.

"I'm not supposed to know about the catacombs," Ludwig reiterated. "When Father, Kammy, and Kamek brought Mother's casket down here all those years ago, I secretly followed them. While I managed to follow them in here, naturally they caught me. Father made me swear not to tell any of you about this place."

"I had no idea." Wendy snorted at her own statement, "I guess that's because Daddy made you keep it a secret. But then, why did you bring me here?"

Ludwig looked away. "It's the only safe place I could think of. Even so, I had no choice; we're in the middle of a crisis!"

"Look, it's fine," Wendy said reassured. "Besides, since we're the only ones who know about it, then whoever is attacking us won't find us. I can't say the same about the others, though…" She drooped her head sadly.

Ludwig nodded. _Wendy is being pretty mature. She hasn't complained once, and she's worried about the others._ He mentally smacked himself. _Sure she's a brat, but she's still a sister. So of course she's worried! Who wouldn't be? Hm… she makes a good point. I hope the others are okay. Especially Bowser. At least he doesn't have to rely on me._

"What do mean, 'at least Bowser doesn't have to rely on you'?" Wendy asked.

Ludwig visibly jumped and looked at her nervously. "Th-that was all out loud?"

Wendy crossed her arms. "You tell me. You're the one who said, 'I hope the others are okay. Especially Bowser. At least he doesn't have to rely on me'."

Ludwig opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off when the secret entrance to the catacombs started opening.

Ludwig extinguished his wand, grabbed Wendy's wrist, and pulled his sister behind their mother's stone post. Breath was held as they remained crouched in their hiding place.

Chilling laughter filled the air. "I know you're in here."

The two Koopalings stifled gasps as Ludwig pulled Wendy closer.

_Impossible!_ Ludwig thought. _No one knows about the catacombs! And even if they did, no one knows the ancient chant to open the wall!_

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, children!" the form called out again. "I'm not going to hurt you." Cold laughter. "Not too much, anyway."

Ludwig gritted his teeth. _It looks like I'm going to have fight!_ He reached inside his shell to retrieve his wand, but froze as he grabbed it. _I can't risk Wendy getting hurt. I can't fight until she's safe. But what can I do?_

_Use the Nomore Spell,_ the another part of his mind suggested.

_NO!_ he argued, _I can't take that risk- not again!_

_It worked last time._

_I got __**lucky**__ last time. We __**all**__ got lucky last time._

_What choice do you have?_

Ludwig's mental argument was cut off when Wendy lightly shook him. He looked over and let out a small gasp when he saw- of all things- a Warp Pipe emerge from the ground next to them! Wendy looked at him, then at the pipe, then back to him. There was a question in her gaze. Ludwig nodded and gave her a push towards their ticket out of there. Wendy didn't have to be told twice- she immediately jumped into the Warp Pipe. Ludwig followed quickly, noticing that the pipe was just barely big enough for him.

"Peek-a-boo," the monster cooed, "I see you!"

Ludwig turned around to face the villain. The light of the hallway made it so he could only make out the fiend as a silhouette. But was enough for Ludwig to make out a form that was much too big for the Warp Pipe, which meant that they would not be followed.

"The Stars shine on us tonight!" Ludwig proclaimed defiantly.

And with that, he leapt backwards and escaped into the Warp Pipe.

"Pitiful fools." The beast walked up to the pipe and cheekily called into it, "You cannot run from me!" _It's all going according to plan…_

_***J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J ***_

Far away from Dark Land and Castle Koopa, Wendy and Ludwig crawled out from the other end of the Warp Pipe. One thing they noticed as they stood: it was pitch-black. The Koopalings stuck close to each other to keep from losing one another.

They took one breath of air and gagged. The air reeked of waste products.

"Ugh!" Wendy covered her nose. "Where did that pipe take us?"

"My best guess?" Ludwig sniffed the air, and then quickly followed his sister's example. "We're in a sewer. Where, exactly, I'm not sure."

"Then where do we walk!? I can't see a thing, and I don't want to step in anything!" Wendy huffed.

"You're lucky you're not **barefooted**," Ludwig muttered. "But I can still use that illumination spell so we can see where we're going."

He retrieved his wand from his shell again. Before he could start the spell, the ground started shaking loudly and violently without warning. Debris rained down from above. Ludwig dropped his wand and shot his arm out in Wendy's direction in order to grab her, but a shockwave knocked him backwards. He crouched onto his hands and knees and called for Wendy to do the same.

"Crawl to me!" he yelled over the din, but he could barely hear his own voice.

Then, as quickly as it came, the freak earthquake stopped.

Ludwig sat up and wiped dust and bits of stone from his thick, blue hair. "I think that's the worst of it," he said, assuming Wendy could hear him. "And I think I got out fine. How about you, Wendy?"

Wendy did not reply.

Ludwig heart sank. _No no no no no!_ he denied._ I'm sure Wendy's fine. Perfectly fine! Her ears are probably just ringing and she couldn't hear me. I know mine are. Yeah, that's it! I'll just go find her._

Ludwig felt around for his wand- no point in searching if he could not see! The Dragon-Koopa grinned in triumph as his fingers brushed against and wrapped around the handle of his precious tool. He held it high over his head and mentally triggered the ever-so helpful illumination spell.

Nothing happened. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. He tried again, only to be met with the same result.

Ludwig lowered his wand. Something about it felt… off. He could not feel his magic naturally flowing through it, as he usually could. He held the wand in both hands.

Only to find the handle coming up short. The wand was broken. And a broken wand was nothing more than a useless stick. Ludwig cursed and tossed it aside.

_How am I supposed to find Wendy in the dark? There has to be something I can use to see._ The genius Koopaling wracked his brain for solutions. _I could make a fireball, but that will go out the moment it hits something. Unless I have a torch or something. But I don't have anything to light! Nothing except…_ Ludwig's hand went to his head.

His hair was one of his trademarks, practically the whole kingdom and beyond knew that. He always took care of it, and took great pride in it. No one messed with it, or else they faced his wrath.

But Wendy was in trouble, Ludwig had no doubt about that, and he had to find her.

The Koopa prince grabbed a chunk of his hair and pulled it straight, with his hand as far away from his head as possible. Then he took his other hand and extended his claws. In one swift motion, he swiped at his scalp.

It was a clean cut, right down to the skin, without cutting himself.

Ludwig took the hair he cut off in one hand, and his broken wand in the other. He quickly wrapped the locks around the broken end of the shaft, and he tied it off. Then he brought it out in front of him and spat a small fireball. The blue hair was set aflame, and Ludwig could see.

Right in front of him was a pile of concrete. Large slabs piled on top of each other.

And Ludwig's instincts were telling him that his little sister was in there.

With all his strength, he jabbed the tip of his broken-wand-made-torch into the concrete floor and embedded it there. Now he could use two hands and still be able to see.

Ludwig ran to the pile of debris and started moving the broken concrete, chunk by chunk. The task was toilsome. _If only Roy or Morton were here. _Ludwig wished his younger, stronger brothers were there at the moment._ But they're not here. I'm Wendy's only hope._ He went back to work.

A muffled cough made him stop.

"Wendy?" he said cautiously.

"Help me," even while muted by the rubble, Wendy's voice sounded strained.

"Wendy!" Ludwig sighed in relief. "Are you okay?" Immediately after the words left his mouth, he knew it was a stupid question. _She needs help- of course she's not okay!_

"I… I can't feel my legs. Something is on top of them." Wendy sobbed, "It hurts, Luddy! I want out!"

Ludwig knew it must have been bad if she was calling him by his childhood nickname- Wendy **never** called him "Luddy". He picked up the pace a hundred-fold. By now he was running on pure adrenaline.

Eventually he found a slab twice his size embedded into the floor, leaning against an even bigger pile of debris. Ludwig could make out an opening behind the slab, thought it was too small for him to get into. He peeked inside.

"Luddy, I'm in here." Wendy's tearful voice came from within the opening.

"Hang on, Wendy. I'm getting you out there!" Ludwig said.

Without thinking, he grabbed the giant stone slab blocking the gap and pulled with all his might. Naturally, it did nothing. Ludwig almost stopped, but a sob from Wendy made him pull even harder.

_It can't end like this, _Ludwig thought angrily, and his rage fueled his strength. _No one attacks __**my**__ home- attacks __**my**__ family! We're ambushed in the __**middle of the night**__._ Stone cracked. _The nine of us are separated because of a #*$%ing accident. _A loud pop came from Ludwig's elbow, signaling dislocation, but he ignored it. _To top it all off, the #*$%*&¢ knows where mother is buried. He's probably defiling the graves right now!_ With a roar, Ludwig tore the slab away, completely exposing the opening in the wall. Unfortunately, it was too small for him to fit. Ludwig muttered a curse.

Wendy suddenly gasped. "Ludwig! Behind you!" she cried in terror.

Ludwig turned his head and found himself facing the Warp Pipe. A warm glow came from within it, gradually getting brighter. Ludwig's breath caught in his throat when he realized what it was- _Fire. He's sending fire into the pipe!_

His first instinct was to get out of the way, but Ludwig realized that would leave Wendy to get hit. _The fire might ricochet and hit her anyway… unless…_

Without warning, Ludwig slammed his blue carapace into the hole in the wall, effectively sealing it. And not a moment too soon, as a white-hot jet of fire streamed into his face. The pain was unlike anything the oldest Koopaling had ever felt.

The last thing Ludwig was aware of was Wendy screaming his name, before he gave in to darkness.

* * *

_That ending might have been a little rushed. Oh wellz._

_So yeah, now our focus Koopaling is none other than Ludwig von Koopa, who is in charge of Wendy. Now we have all three main characters! Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig._

_Is Wendy OOC? In an emergency, people tend to do things differently, but I'm still not sure._

_We finally get a glimpse of our villain! But who is it? I'm feeling a little cruel today, so I think I'll leave you in suspense. Don't hurt me...  
_

_Questions you might have, but I won't answer just yet (still feeling cruel :P): How did Clawdia die? Where is Bowser? What DID Ludwig mean about Jr. being better of without him? How do you pronounce "Nomore"? What does the Nomore spell do?_

_Oh my! Look at all those pitchforks! Um... *points in a random direction* LOOK A DISTRACTION! *runs*_


	14. Chapter 14: Fast and Slow

_Woohoo! I'm back. And with another chapter. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own them. Becuase I'm lazy._

* * *

**Chapter 14: Fast and Slow**

* * *

A _ding_ heralded the arrival of an elevator. The doors hadn't even opened all the way before the elevator found itself boarded. The button for the ground floor was pushed, and the elevator doors closed.

A red heel tapped the floor anxiously as the elevator descended.

"Come on, come on," Pauline murmured, wishing that the elevator would go faster. She hoped it didn't stop before reaching the first floor.

The numbers on screen went down slowly. _6…5…4…3…2…_

Pauline sighed in relief when her descent didn't stop at floor 2.

_1…_

_Ding!_

Pauline slipped out of the elevator and just as quickly exited her apartment building.

"I can't believe I forgot to set my alarm!" she growled for the fifth time that morning as she strode down the busy streets of Big Ape City. "If I don't hurry, I'm going to be late! What kind of boss is late for her own job?"

Pauline was the head of the Mario Toy Company, makers of the ever-so-popular Mini-Mario toys. While Mini-Model factories were located in various regions, Mario Toy Headquarters was located in Big Ape City. Mario and Peach, the company founders, needed someone they could trust to be in charge, and Pauline was the perfect candidate.

But before Pauline could function as a proper manager, she needed coffee. So she made a quick stop at her favorite coffee shop.

At least, that was her plan, but the long line in front of her sent that plan out the window.

Pauline swore quietly to herself as she took her place at the back. Tuning out everyone else's conversations, she mentally reprimanded herself for not checking her alarm clock the previous night.

Unfortunately, that meant she missed an important conversation between a Yoshi and a Doogan.

"So according to the news, Dark Land was attacked."

"I know! That's where Bowser lives, right?"

"Yep. That's the place."

"Personally, I'm fine with it. That guy terrorized Yoshis like me for a looong time. It's about time he gets a little punishment. I mean it only happens every time he kidnaps Princess Toadstool."

"This time is different, man. Turns out Mario didn't do it this time."

"Okay, so Luigi did it. Big deal."

"Dude, you're not listening! Dark Land was attacked by someone **evil**! And the kids are gone, man."

"Kids?"

"Bowser has kids. I know, it's news to me, too."

The two exited the coffee shop, taking their conversation with them. All this had gone unnoticed by Pauline; she was just happy to get to the counter.

The Boo at the register greeted her with a warm smile, "Pauline! Good to see you, dear. The usual?"

"Yes, please," Pauline said a little too quickly. Luckily the ghost didn't notice this and started preparing her coffee.

"So," he began, "quite the news story to-"

"Mr. Broo," Pauline interrupted, "can we please skip the small talk today? I'm running late."

"Oh!" Mr. Broo apologized, "Of course. Sorry." He finished brewing Pauline's coffee and put it in a to-go cup. "Although this is pretty-" he began as he handed it to her.

Pauline snatched up the beverage and hurried out the door. "Thanks! See you tomorrow!" She called out behind her.

"…important," Mr. Broo finished. He chuckled to himself. "She must **really** be late this time." He turned to his next customer, "Hey, Mona! What a pleasant surprise!"

_***J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J ***_

Pauline walked as fast as she could in her high heels. She was almost there. Just a few more blocks.

She turned a corner to find herself blocked by a small crowd. She let out a small huff and proceeded in slipping in between people. When she finally escaped the crowd, she surged forward.

Only to have a strong arm push her back, causing her to drop her coffee.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Watch it!"

The Pianta who pushed her gave her a look and pointed in front of her. He said with a distinct Brooklyn accent, "Lady, you need to watch where you're going!"

Directly in front of Pauline was a row of barricades. Beyond that, she could clearly see a chasm where the road had crumbled. Pauline paled upon realizing she almost walked through the barricades and off the edge.

"What happened?" she asked.

The Pianta, who Pauline could now see was a construction worker, shrugged. "The sewer tunnel collapsed. Not sure how it happened, though. Everything's structurally sound." To emphasize his point, he did a ground pound on the spot he was standing on.

Pauline squinted at the chasm. "So it didn't need maintenance?"

"Nope."

"Maybe someone did this, then?" she suggested.

The Pianta shook his head. "I don't think so. That'd take either a lot of willing Bob-ombs or a lot of magic. And we don't got neither here in the Big Ape. Dark Land's probably got them, but getting anything out of there will be hard because of the attack last night."

"Attack?"

The Pianta threw his arms in the air. "Lady! Read the newspapers, will you? Dark Land was attacked last night! And not by Mario this time. No. There's no reason for this. I'm telling you, lady, it's driving folks bonkers."

Pauline blinked. "What about Bowser?"

"He and the family have all gone AWOL."

A nearby bell tower rang, signaling the hour. Pauline realized that she was even later than before. She quickly thanked the Pianta for saving her and giving her the news and walked along the barricades, trying to find a detour.

Suddenly, the road beneath her cracked and broke away into the chasm, with her on it. She screamed as she fell into the tunnel. Her scream cut off as the concrete slab she was on hit bottom and inertia forced her to the ground.

Pauline shakily got to her feet. She groaned when she saw that her dress tore when she fell on the ground. "There goes another dress…" she muttered.

"Lady!" the Pianta from before called from above, "You okay?"

Pauline gave herself a quick onceover before looking up. "Yeah! Can you get me up?"

"Not from here. There should be a manhole a block from here, though. Do you think you can climb the ladder?"

Pauline looked down at her heels. _I'll have to take those off first, but…_ "Yeah. Thanks!"

She carefully crawled over the rubble. As she made her way over one pile, it gave way. Pauline yelped as she fell yet again.

As she regained her bearings, Pauline looked up. She paled upon coming face to face with a very well-done muzzle.

"What happened, lady?" the Pianta called.

Pauline shuddered. "I think we found some of that family."

* * *

_Eeyup. Our new supporting character is Pauline. I really can't find any information on her personality, so I made her one! MarioWiki, y u no have the info? Anyhoo, i figured that somebody has to run the Mario Toy Company, and Mario can't because he's always busy saving the world and such, so I thought: Pauline! She's not busy! So I made her busy. And late for work._

_On the subject of Mr. Broo, he's just something I made up on the spot. Don't expect him to show up anytime later. He was only for the coffee shop scene. And the name? He's a Boo, and he brews coffee. It's a bad pun, I know, but was either this or a Lakitu named Lakilatte._

_Off-topic, I'm actually pretty surprised that I haven't gotten any flames yet. Not that I'm complaining, it's just that there's always going to be someone in life who's very... "vocal" about their dislikes. Is my fic really that good?_


	15. Chapter 15: Searching

_Hi guys and gals! I'm back with chapter 15! Bad news. This will be the last chapter I post before school starts. It starts tomorrow! Now I will only updates on days off. Like Sunday_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own them. Need I say more?_

* * *

**Chapter 15: Searching**

* * *

"I think we found some of that family." Pauline murmured. She simply stood for a moment, shell-shocked.

"Lady! Something wrong down there?" the Pianta's voice snapped her out of her stupor.

"Koopa!" she shouted up.

"What?"

Pauline almost face-palmed. _This time try using complete sentences, girl._ "There's a Koopa trapped down here. I think he's Darklandian!"

"Say what!? You think so?"

"He looks really hurt, too. He needs help!"

"Don't move, lady. We'll come to you," then the Pianta shouted in another direction, "Louie! Moe! Put those pipes down and get your tails over here! Debbie, call an ambulance- we got an emergency!"

Sooner than Pauline expected, the rubble in front of her was moved away, revealing the Pianta and two Sumo Bros.

The Pianta walked up next to her. "Whoa," he said, giving a low whistle. "You ain't kidding about that Koopa."

"Great galloping Gulpits!" one of the Sumo Bros. exclaimed. "That's a Dragon-Koopa!"

The Pianta snorted. "No, really Moe?" he said sarcastically. "I thought it was a Blitty."

Both Bros. glared at him. The one now known as Moe started forward, "You know what, Dewey-?"

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Pauline shouted. All three workers looked at her, somewhat surprised. "Do you really think yelling at each other will get us anywhere?" she lectured, going into manager-mode. All three of the company had the decency to look ashamed as she continued. "This Koopa needs help- now get to work!" Before waiting for a response, she herself went to move the unconscious Dragon-Koopa.

Unfortunately, she was too weak to do it by herself. Acknowledging this, the Pianta, now known as Dewey, ushered her aside while the two Sumo Bros. tried to move the Koopa. They quickly found that his carapace was stuck in concrete behind him.

"Wow, this guy's wedged in there good," Moe remarked as he and his brother pulled. Soon the spiked shell popped out, and they carried the Koopa towards a manhole.

Pauline brushed a stray hair aside as she sighed in relief. _Everything's going to be fine._ She looked at the hole that the Koopa's shell had left in the wall. "I wonder how he got in there?" she wondered aloud.

"Dunno," Dewey shrugged. Pauline jumped; she had forgotten he was still there. Suddenly the Pianta's eyes narrowed. "Hey, wait a minute…"

Pauline looked at him. "What?"

Dewey pointed at the space in between the two slabs of concrete. "It's empty back there."

Pauline looked. Sure enough, there was empty space beyond the hole, not just rubble. For some reason, Pauline found it suspicious. _I wonder…_ Her gut told her to look, so she peaked inside the space.

The sight of another unconscious Dragon-Koopa caused her to gasp. "Wait! There's one more- look!"

_***J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J ***_

As the two Dragon-Koopas we being hoisted onto stretchers, Pauline was giving a report to a police officer.

"And that's all you know?" the officer pressed.

Pauline nodded. "I know it isn't much, and I'm sorry."

"No need for an apology. Any and all information helps." The officer saluted. "Good day, ma'am." With that, he took his leave.

_I need to get to work. _Pauline turned and started to head to the toy company. However, she stopped upon spotting the Dragon-Koopas. _Koopalings,_ she recalled. She was tempted to go with them to the hospital.

Pauline moaned slightly. _I really want to know if those two are okay. But I'm already late enough as it is…_

She looked at them again. The medical team was loading them onto the ambulance. They weren't a pretty sight to behold.

Pauline's brow set firmly. Her decision was clear. _It's what Mario would do._

She quickly walked towards the ambulance. As a medic was closing the door, she called out, "Wait! I'm coming with!"

_***J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J ***_

Pauline spent the entire trip to the hospital staring at the Koopalings. She took in every little detail she could.

The one with the pink shell was a girl, if the accessories were anything to go by. Bow, shoes, necklace, bangles, eyelashes, lipstick. All that screamed "girl", without question, although many of them were ruined. She looked mostly fine from the waist up, except for a few bruises where concrete had likely fallen on her. However, both her legs had been crushed; the medics had confirmed that.

The other Koopaling Pauline guessed was a boy. Something about him just seemed to give off a masculine vibe. His entire body was scorched, save for his blue shell which has been stuck in the concrete. His blue hair was a mess, going all over the place. It was also missing completely in one spot, which looked weird. His elbow was slightly swollen. Pauline feared what that meant.

_Their names…_ Pauline thought._ I think the blue one's name is… oh… some musician… Bach? Handel? No, that's not it. What about the girl? I'm pretty sure it's O-something. O'Malley? O'Neil? No… Mario's letters might be able to tell me something._ Pauline mentally facepalmed. _Mario's letters! That's it! That's how I know about these guys; Mario wrote to me about them! If only I could remember what he said…_

Suddenly the back doors opened, jarring Pauline from her thoughts. The Koopalings were quickly carted out.

"We're here?" she wondered aloud.

A medic looked at her, "Yes."

"Where are the Koopalings going to be?"

"We are now taking the Dragon-Koopas to room 4 in the D-wing on the sixth floor."

Pauline nodded. "Room 6-D4. Got it."

_I need to know more about these guys so I can help them, _she thought. _I'll go back to home and look for the letters. But what if something happens here?_ Pauline bit her lip.

"If something happens, can you have someone call me?" she asked the medic.

The medic stared at her for a moment. Then, she nodded. "Okay."

"Thanks." Pauline got some notepaper out of her purse, wrote something down, tore it off, and handed it to the medic. "This is my number. Give it to whoever can reach me."

The medic smiled. "I promise I will."

"Thank you." With that, Pauline started walking home. "Good thing the hospital's close to home," she said to herself.

After a block, she remembered something. _Crap! Work. Okay, um…_

She got out her cell phone and dialed her secretary.

She got an answer on the first ring. _"Hello?"_

"Nadine, it's Pauline. Something big has come up and I won't be able to get in today."

"_Oh my! What happened?"_ Nadine asked.

"Have you been paying attention to the news?"

"_Yes! I wonder how that sewer tunnel collapsed?"_

"Not local, international!" Pauline groaned. "You know, Dark Land?"

Nadine gasped, _"Oh! Do you know something?"_

"Two Dragon-Koopas showed up in that collapsed tunnel, and my gut tells me they're Koopalings. You know, Bowser's kids."

"_Yes, go on."_

"Well, I can't be sure that they're really Koopalings until I can find some info on them. Mario sends me letters every so often, and one of them happened to be about the Koopalings, so I'm on my way to my apartment to find those letters."

"_Is this really so important that you have to skip work, Pauline?"_

Pauline furrowed her brow. "It's what Mario would do."

Nadine sighed on the other end, _"Alright. Go. You have my blessing."_

"Thanks, Nadine. You're the best. Bye." Pauline hung up just as she walked into her apartment building.

The search for Mario's letters had begun.

* * *

_Sorry it's so short! I'll try to do better next time._

_And about the construction workers' names? I just pulled them out of a proverbial hat. No puns or anything. Same with Nadine._

_Thanks for reading!_


End file.
